Second Time Around
by gunman
Summary: Shinji and the other pilots face the 7th Angel, and Ginji makes a play to help Ritsuko in a way she never imagined. Chapter 13 up.
1. Chapter 1

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: All Eva characters are not licensed by me. I'm only using them for my own amusement.

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Chapter 1

**Welcome To Tokyo-3**

((We're Sorry. All Lines Are Currently Out Of Order...))

Shinji Ikari hung up the phone and looked around the deserted city called Tokyo-3.

_I wonder if he's here_. He thought as he looked around, first at his watch, then at a deserted section of the city. He then noticed something, or actually, someone, standing in the street. It looked like a girl. A strange girl he had never seen before. She was wearing a school uniform, but had short blue hair and almost pale white skin. And it could have been his imagination, but did she appear to have 'red eyes'? He wasn't sure, but it looked like it.

He blinked, and she was gone.

_Who was that? Was it a girl? It looked like...but where did she go? _He wondered as he looked around and still saw nothing._ Did I imagine it? _He wondered again as he looked at the picture that he had been sent.

The image was of a sexy woman with purple hair, dressed in a tanktop and cutoff shorts. There was a message on it. 'I'll come pick you up'. He then noticed the arrow pointing to her cleavage.

"I wonder why no one's here?" he asked.

And as if on cue, a fierce screeching sounded off, shattering the peace of the city. Shinji looked up and barely saw a missile come out of nowhere, fly off, and impact something as loud explosions nearly shook him off his feet.

'"What th..." he exclaimed as he suddenly froze. Over the city there were nearly a dozen military aircraft flying a single area. Actually, they were flying backwards. (VTOL's have that power) He suddenly saw why as a huge dark green humanoid monster, with bone-like plates on its shoulders and a red orb in its chest, protected with what appeared to be its ribs, appeared from behind a large mountain.

"What? What was that... ..." Shinji whispered he watched the aircraft attack the creature and swat at them as if they were nothing but insects.

One of the aircraft managed a direct hit at the creatures face, at least that's what Shinji could tell was it's face, but it did little good as the creature raised it's hand and shot a spear of light at it, destroying the aircraft in a second.

Shinji stared at the creature, and then it suddenly turned towards his direction. Shinji froze, because for a second, it looked as if the creature was staring at him.

Before Shinji could do anything, the creature moved towards him. Fortunately, so did a fast blue car.

"Quick, get in!" the driver shouted at him as she threw the passenger side door open.

Shinji saw the a beautiful woman with purple hair wearing sunglasses and a black dress and driving gloves. He realized that this was the woman who was coming to meet him.

'"Y-Yeah." he muttered as he dove into the car.

The woman slammed on the gas and accelerated like a bat out of hell. It was a good thing she did, because the monsters foot suddenly came down hard and demolished the area they would have been in. She peeled rubber and was out of the creatures path in seconds.

"Well, that was a close one." the woman said as she continued driving like a maniac.

"Uh, yeah. Thank you for coming to pick me up, Miss Katsuragi." he said, quickly buckling his belt.

"No problem, Shinji Ikari. And please, call me Misato." she said as she took off her sunglasses.

She suddenly regretted that as she noticed that the aircraft were moving away from the creature.

"What the hell?" she cried as she stopped the car and grabbed a pair of binoculars from the glove box. "No...it can't...they wouldn't..."

"Who wouldn't what?"

"Oh shit, they're going to use a N2 mine! Get down!"

Shinji was quickly pinned to the floor of the car as a suddenly shockwave and blinding light overwhelmed them in a second. The car flipped and flew, finally coming to a stop, but had landed on the passenger side door.

The pair scrambled out to see what had happened. Misato found her glasses and put them back on as she stared at the blinding light from the blast. As soon as the light had disappeared, the pair got out of the car and tipped it back onto it's wheels.

"Ok, one...two..."

"Three!" They both shouted and in seconds were able to right the car.

"Good job, Shinji, it seems that you're useful for something!" she said playfully.

"..." he looked at her for a second before replying. "Thanks. I think."

_Great, he probably thinks I insulted him. I didn't mean to._

"But what was all that about?" Shinji asked several minutes later as Misato checked the power connections and closed the hood.

"Unfortunately, the reason you're here." Misato answered as they got back into the car and drove off. Misato herself was upset. Not at Shinji, he had nothing to do with this. She had been late picking him up at the train station, and now because of it, her new dress was ruined, her car was wrecked, though still drive-able, and she was running behind schedule. She knew Ginji wouldn't get mad at her, but a certain cranky blond always did.

"Uh, are you sure taking those batteries is alright?" he asked, breaking her out of her musings, indicating the half-dozen batteries that they had secured from a nearby mechanic garage.

"Don't worry, I'm a government official, and we do need a working car." she replied sheepishly.

"I don't think anyone's going to buy that." he frowned.

"Ahh, you're no fun." she playfully teased him. "You know, you're not as cute as I thought you were."

"And you're not as mature as I thought you were."

That little comment got Misato's foot on the gas, making Shinji hang on for dear life as the blue car swerved all over the road.

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Misato eventually slowed down and the pair were able to speak normally.

"You mean...the work my father was doing...is because of that thing?" Shinji asked her.

"Yes." Misato replied. "But not to worry, everything will work out." she smiled. Suddenly, her car phone rang. She picked it up, still driving at an accelerated rate. "Hello? Oh, hey, hon. No, I wasn't that close to the blast. Just a little, the car's worse than I am. I'm Fine! Yeah, he's fine too. Don't worry about it, his safety is my primary concern. We'll be there soon. Could you get a train ready? An express of course. Right, see you soon sweetie." she said as she hung up the phone.

"Who was that you were talking to?" Shinji asked, trying not to be rude or anything.

"Someone who's been looking forward to meeting you." she smiled.

Shinji sulked down into his seat. "It couldn't be my father."

Misato looked at him.

"Guess you don't get along with him very well. I'm kinda the same way." she said as she drove on.

"So, we're headed for my father's organization?" Shinji asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah." Misato said. "It's called NERV, a top secret organization controlled by the UN. It's primary job is to stop those creatures you just saw."

"Creatures? You mean...there are more of them?" he said with obvious panic.

"Don't worry, Shinji. We've planned for something like this for years."

_How do you plan to stop a giant monster stomping around the city when the military's greatest weapon couldn't do it?_ He wondered as they arrived at the gate that lead down to NERV.

They stopped at an armored door with the NERV logo printed on it. Misato reached over to the card reader and swiped her ID through it. The door opened and Misato drove in. She stopped inside the large room as the floor started moving.

The trip was rather long, so Misato thought Shinji should start reading up.

"Here, Shinji, read this." she said as she handed him a book that was in the backseat of her car.

'"NERV. God is in his heaven, and all is right with the world." he said, reading the cover. _What has father been doing?_

Misato looked at the boy. _I hope we're doing the right thing. I know what Ginji said about the boy, and I know he doesn't like it, but he understands it has to be done. He's never been wrong about things, and I hope he's right about this. _

Shinji looked through the window, and, for the second time that day, was left speechless.

"My God. It's an actual Geo-Front!" he cried, which amused Misato.

It was a huge underground cavern, almost spherical in shape, looking like it was taken from a Sci-Fi pic. Artificial light illuminated the whole place, there was some kind of forest down below and there were also buildings hanging from the ceiling. And at the center of the cavern was a large pyramid-like building with the NERV logo painted on its side.

"This place is our last hope for survival, a fortress for all mankind, to stand against the Angels."

"...wow..." was all Shinji could say.

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Minutes later after they had gotten off the tram, they were walking through the massive corridors of NERV. Actually, most of their walking had consisted of mobile walkways that seemed to be taking them to the same place.

"This is why I hate wearing skirts around here." Misato groaned as she looked at the map.

'"I think we've passed by here before." Shinji as he continued to flip through the book.

Misato groaned. She could almost hear Ginji telling her that she should have studied the base more thoroughly. She knew he wouldn't, but it was something that wouldn't leave her mind.

"Are we lost, Miss Katsuragi?"

Misato giggled lightly. "Don't worry, that's what these walkways are for." she stated.

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However, within the facility, two people were aware of their predicament.

"Oh, god, is that idiot lost again?" a blond woman grumbled as she shed her wetsuit and face mask. There had been an intercom communiqué for her to contact Captain Katsuragi.

In another part of the base...

"I told her to study the layout better." he grinned as he holstered his guns. He paused for a second and picked up a pendant in the desk drawer, putting it in his pocket.

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The elevator rode down to one of the lower levels, stopping to open up, which revealed a blond woman wearing a labcoat and a cross expression.

Misato giggled, panicked a bit. "Hi, Ritsuko."

The woman stepped up to her and got in her face. To Shinji it looked like they were going to have a fight or something.

"Why are you wasting my time, Captain? You know we're short on time and manpower." the blond said.

"Sorry." she grinned sheepishly.

The blond sighed then turned to the boy. "So, is this him?" she asked.

Misato straightened herself. "Yeah. According to the Marduke Report, he's the Third Child."

Ritsuko stared at him, almost worried. To her, he really didn't look that exceptional. Yet, as it stood, there was no one else to pull off this rather impossible task.

"He's like his father. The gruff and unfriendly type."

Shinji flinched and Misato noticed it, almost like he had been insulted. _Great, Misato, just great. He's already at odds with the man, didn't have to make it seem like they were similar_.

"Hello." Shinji said to the blond.

"Hello. I'm Dr Ritsuko Akagi, chief scientist here at NERV."

Shinji gave a small bow.

"We're running late." Ritsuko said as the elevator stopped at Ritsuko's destination.

"How bad is it?" Misato asked as they got out.

"Bad. The Unit's been acting up, but it should be fine." Ritsuko said as she lead them down the hall.

"Fine? That's not reassuring. What about Rei?"

"Still recovering." a tall man in black said as he appeared around the corner.

Ritsuko jumped. "God! Don't sneak up on us like that!"

Misato giggled at her friend losing her cool. He was the only one to ever consecutively do it. That and herself.

Shinji stared at the man for a few seconds, recognizing him almost instantly. He had dark brown hair, his eyes covered by sunglasses. He was dressed all in black with a long trenchcoat. He was tall and strong looking, almost radiating calmness and intelligence.

_It's him._ Shinji thought.

Before Shinji could do anything, the man took off his sunglasses as Misato inexplicably leaped into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck, bringing her lips fiercely against his. He responded by wrapping his arms around her body, returning the kiss with equal passion.

That was shocking enough, but as Shinji noticed Ritsuko was scowling. And she also looked like she was jealous?

Eventually, the pair stopped kissing, Misato set back down on her feet. The pair turned and looked at the others, Misato blushing a bit and the man just smiling.

"God, just get a room you two." Ritsuko smirked.

"Your office still empty?" the man asked, arms still wrapped around Misato, and Shinji noticed that he had blue eyes, the same color as his own.

Ritsuko threw him a pouted/cross look. "At least you'd clean up." she said, then stared at Misato.

"Don't start, Ritz!" the purple-haired woman stated. She looked at Shinji, who was wide-eyed. "Oh, how rude of me. Shinji Ikari, I'd like you to meet Ginji Katsuragi. My husband."

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Author's Notes:

Did this chapter shock you? I hope you like it, and I hope you find it interesting enough to check back for more updates.

Don't worry, I've got a real good reason for doing this, and I will do my best to update this as best I can to explain why. This is something I'm sure Misato has never had before, at least as far as I've read in other stories.

Like any good author, I wanted something different. Something original. Something that no one had done before. Hopefully, I accomplished that.

Please read and review.


	2. Fight for your life Shinji

_Chapter 2_

**Fight For Your Life, Shinji**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the direction of the story, excusing a few additions.

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"Husband?" Shinji asked in shock.

"You look surprised Shinji. Who wouldn't marry a beautiful woman like this?" Ginji said.

"I can think of a few people." Ritsuko smirked.

Misato stuck her tongue out at the blond. Ginji released his wife and moved towards Shinji. He towered over the boy a good foot and a half, but Shinji wasn't afraid as he was clearly dwarfed by the man. He stuck out his hand, which Shinji took without hesitation.

"It's been awhile, hasn't Shinji?" Ginji asked.

"Yes, sir. It's...good to see you." Shinji replied.

"What? You two know each other?" Misato asked.

"Tell you the story some day. Promise. Right now, we have to go." he said as he stood to the side, indicating that Ritsuko should lead the way.

The blond doctor nodded and lead the trio to their destination.

"I didn't know you were married." Shinji said to Ginji.

"You never asked." Ginji smirked as Misato poked him in the ribs.

"Keeping me a secret, were you?" she pouted playfully.

"The less people who know you exist, the more other people won't try to hit on you." he stated, his arm wrapping around her waist to hold her close.

"My protector." she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Always." he said, kissing her forehead.

Eventually, the group ended up in front of a large door that Dr Akagi opened by keying in a code for the door. She lead them into the darkened room, the door closing behind them.

"Hey, what's going on? I can't see!" Shinji cried out as he felt something about to happen.

Before he could ask again, the lights suddenly came on. His eyes adjusted to the intense glare as he noticed something large in front of him. The first thing he noticed he was in a gigantic cage-like area; it was filled with a reddish liquid that didn't smell like water. They were standing on a long catwalk in front of a huge purple robot head with a long horn protruding from it's head.

"Whoa!" he shouted, tumbling back only to be caught by Ginji's strong hand. Any further and he would have ended up in the reddish liquid. "Thanks."

"No problem." he replied.

Shinji turned his focus to the giant robot before him. He stared into its eyes, almost frozen. He could have sworn that the thing was looking back at him, right into his soul. But there was something else, an eerie sensation within him, as if this thing were calling to him. But how was that possible?

"Are you alright?" Ginji's voice brought him out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." he said as he grabbed the booklet that Misato gave him earlier. He felt a hand on his, stopping him from his search as he looked at Ginji.

"It's not in there." he said to the boy.

"This is the artificial life form known as Evangelion Unit 01." Ritsuko started to explain. "Built here in secret it is mankind's last hope against the Angels!" Ritsuko said, almost dramatically.

Shinji stared at the giant robot for a couple seconds. "So, this is what my father has been working on?"

"That is correct!" a cold, booming voice echoed over the speakers. Everyone turned their eyes up to se the grim visage of Commander Gendo Ikari looking down at them from the observation deck.

"Father." Shinji whispered as he looked up.

Ginji tensed, his hand squeezing Misato's. She was quick to notice and pulled closer to her husband. As if trying to comfort him. Being around the commander always made him tense, and she could understand that. She didn't particularly like the man herself, he always gave her the creeps. But Ginji was different. It was as if he had outright hate towards the man. A fact he kept amazingly well hidden, though his dislike was obvious. It didn't deter the commander, as if he didn't care if he was liked as long as people did their jobs. But Misato could feel that something was different. Something about Shinji being here now. Ginji had told her that when the boy arrived, things would get tense. She knew that would be true, but she didn't fully expect it.

"We're moving out!" Gendo shouted his orders.

"What's going on?" Misato asked.

"The Angel is advancing towards Tokyo-3. N2 Mine had little effect on it. It's mobile once again." a different voice called over the intercom.

"We have to mobilize." Ritsuko said.

"Mobilize what?" Misato asked. "Unit 00's still in cryo."

"What do you think?" Ginji said, nodding towards the purple robot.

She gasped. "You're going to use, Unit 01?"

"That's right."

"But Rei's still not healed. We don't have a pilot!" she protested.

"One has just arrived." Ritsuko said.

Misato looked pale for a second. "You mean...Shinji?"

"There's no one else."

"But you can't! He doesn't know the systems, he just got here! You can't make him do it!"

"Misato's right. Even though we need him, we can't force him into this!" Ginji said.

"This is what I called him for!" Gendo said.

"So, it's true! You didn't want me! You just wanted me to pilot your weapon!" Shinji shouted.

The base started to rumble. "The Angel has entered Tokyo-3 city limits. Damage being taken, military unable to stop them." a voice said over the intercom.

"This is not the time for a debate. Shinji will pilot it!" Gendo ordered.

"I...I can't!" the boy stammered.

"If you cannot do what you are required to do, then you are of no use to me. Leave!" he shouted.

"COMMANDER!" Ginji roared, releasing Misato and moving towards Shinji. Ginji knelt down so that he was nearly eye-level with Shinji. The boy was crying now, his face tilted down so he couldn't look at anyone. "Shinji. Listen to me." he said softly. "What is being asked of you is a tremendous responsibility. It'll be hard, but you can do it."

"I don't know how."

"Of course not. No one ever told you. Even I never told you what your father had planned for you. For that I'm sorry."

"You knew? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked and Ginji felt as if he had been betrayed or tricked.

"Because I didn't want you to do this. We weren't able to find the other pilots as yet. It came down to you. We're out of time, Shinji. I know you don't want to do this, but you can."

"How? How can I do this?"

"Because it's what your mother believed." he explained.

Shinji raised his head up at the mention of his mother.

"Did you think your father was smart enough to build this thing? To create this organization? No, he isn't. Unit 01 was originally your mother's creation. She knew this was going to happen. And she knew that only you would be able to save the world from the Angels. She never wanted this for you, but she knew you could do it. She had faith in you. And now you must have it in yourself."

Shinji said nothing for several seconds.

"I can't do this alone."

"You'll never be alone." Ginji said, reaching into his pocket for something. "Your mother created Eva. Her fingerprints, her life blood, her soul, is etched into it. She gave everything to it's creation, so that you could pilot it."

"But how...how do you know I can?"

"Because I believe in you Shinji. Just like she does." he said, holding out the pendant in front of him.

He opened it up, and gasped as he saw the face of his mother staring back at him.

"...mother..." he said as he took the pendant. Tears were starting to form within.

"I had this made special for you, Shinji. Keep it with you always."

Shinji crushed the pendant to his chest, tears coming out of his eyes. "Thank you."

Another rumble was heard. This was much closer and heavier.

"Well, Shinji?" Misato asked.

"I'll do it." he whispered.

Suddenly, the base started to rumble more violently as the beams from the ceiling started to fall towards the pair.

"Look Out!" Misato shouted, but it was too late.

Ginji immediately moved towards Shinji, pulling the boy to the ground as he covered his frail form with his own. The reddish water around them suddenly erupted as a large purple hand came up and effortlessly knocked the debris of steel beams away from them. They crashed hard into the reinforced glass of the observation deck Gendo was standing in.

Ginji turned to the purple robot, his eyes frozen like Shinji's had been.

_She's awake_. He thought as he helped Shinji stand up. _But who were you protecting? Me or your son?_

"What the hell happened?" Misato screamed. "Did Unit 01 just activate on it's own?"

'"It can't be!" Ritsuko shouted. "The entry plug wasn't even inserted! There wasn't a power cable connected to it! It's just not possible!"

She looked at Ginji and Shinji just staring at the robot. "It was him." she said, meaning Shinji. "Did the Eva react to protect him?" she though aloud. Then a small smile appeared on her face. "We can do it."

"Shinji?" Ginji said to the boy. He turned to look at the man. "Are you ready?"

Shinji nodded his head reluctantly as he held the pendant in his hand.

"Follow me."

Misato saw him walk Shinji towards the entry plug a couple techs were standing next to. As they helped him inside, Ginji turned towards her.

"Misato, get to the bridge."

The woman nodded and hurried out with Ritsuko. _Please don't die on us kid._

"Shinji, I have to go now." Ginji said to the boy. "There's something I have to take care of. Listen to me very carefully."

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'"Maya, status report!" Misato yelled at the young lieutenant as she emerged on the bridge.

'"Removing primary and secondary restraints, inserting entry plug." The short, brown haired woman replied. "Filling entry plug!" the young technician's voice could be heard through the plug's inter comm.

_Alright, Shinji, just breath. Ginji told you this would happen_. The boy mused as the entry plug he was in stated filling with this strange orange liquid. It completely filled the small space and covered him up past his head. He breathed normally.

"Don't worry Shinji, once your lungs are filled with LCL your blood will be oxygenated directly, you'll get used to this." The voice of Dr. Akagi said.

"I know." he said calmly, trying not to throw up.

"You know?" she asked, noticing he was breathing normally, or trying to.

"Ginji told me this would happen. It does smell like blood." Shinji explained.

_At least I can't complain and tell him to act like a man. Not like I've ever been in there_. Misato mused as the final preparations were made.

"Start synchronization sequence!" Ritsuko shouted.

Inside the entry plug, Shinji was bombarded by a rainbow of colors until image cleared and found him looking out at the Eva cages.

_Mother, please be with me._ He thought as he gripped the pendant around his neck.

"Maya give me the pilot's status!" Ritsuko ordered.

"All systems have a green light, psychological readings stable, synch ratio is...that's..."

"Maya, what is it?" Ritsuko asked, noticing her hesitation.

"His synch ratio. It's at 63.9!"

"What? That's impossible!" she cried as she went over and checked the systems herself. "Amazing! He's definitely got talent."

"Is everything alright?" Misato asked.

"Everything's good to go." Ritsuko said to the captain.

The captain looked over to the commander who had his elbows resting on his desk and his hands folded in front of his face.

"Commander?" she asked.

"Proceed, captain." the grim man said.

"Can we do this, Ikari?" Sub-commander Fuyutsuki asked as he stood behind the grim man.

"We have no other recourse." Gendo said. "If we fail, we die."

'"Moving Eva to launching catapult #3, launch path clear, we're ready to go." Said Maya.

"EVANGELION LAUNCH!" Misato shouted.

The huge platform rose up towards the elevator. Shinji braced himself for what was about to happen. _Ginji said this was like a roller coaster ride. Just hang on, stay focused, and... believe..._

The elevator exploded with tremendous force, propelling Shinji straight up towards the street. When he arrived, he jerked to a stop. He froze as he noticed through the view screen the same giant monster that had attacked him before.

At least...that's what is appeared it had done.

Whatever it had appeared to be before hand, it was long past, and Shinji no doubt faced the fight for his very life.

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Author's Notes:

Second chapter finished. I'm sure you're wondering by now who Ginji is, aside from being Misato's husband. Some readers have already figured it out. Oh, well, guess subtly isn't my strong suit. Don't worry. There is a very special reason for his presence, of how he got here, and even how he managed to be Misato's husband. It's going to be interesting how that happened.

Also, I've pretty much divided up the chapters so that there are two per series episode. I've only planned this for the first two episodes, but I'm hoping that won't last.

I originally set up Ginji as sort of a mentor, father-figure to Shinji. Someone who will be more of an influence on the boy than anyone else. I also plan on him putting more of a thorn in Gendo's side than anyone prior. And I do plan on that being a shock if anything else.

Please, read and review and watch out for the next chapter.


	3. A Mothers Love

_Chapter 3_

**A Mother's Love**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Eva or the series.

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Shinji eyes focused on the creature in front of him. A feeling of dread filling up inside him as he gripped his pendant tighter. Ginji told him the pendant was waterproof, made of titanium and sealed so that nothing could get inside it. So he knew his mothers picture wouldn't be ruined.

A sudden feeling came over him. One that he didn't acknowledge right away, but one he could feel was right.

_I have to move_. He thought as he instinctively grabbed the controls and pushed them forward.

Back in the command center, Dr Akagi was about to give Shinji his orders.

"Shinji, listen to me, concentrate on walking for now."

"He's moving!" Maya suddenly shouted.

"WHAT?" everyone in the room cried out.

_Mental imaging. That's what Ginji said_. Shinji thought as he pushed the robot forwards, narrowly avoiding an energy blast that the Angel shot at him.

"It's walking!" Misato shouted.

"It's dodging!" Ritsuko shouted as the whole command center watched Unit 01 duck behind a building as the Angel advanced on him.

"Get up, Shinji get up!" Misato shouted as the purple war machine tried to stand up, only to be grabbed and helped to it's feet by the greenish Angel.

Shinji felt his neck tighten as the Angel squeezed Eva's neck, the pain translating to him. "Let...Me... GO!" Shinji suddenly shouted as his arm lashed out, striking the Angel in the face, knocking it back.

"Shinji, be careful. Because of your synch ratio with the Eva, you will feel what it feels to a certain degree." Ritsuko called to him.

"I realize that!" Shinji groaned as he tried to force himself to stand up. Him and Eva.

The Angel stumbled backwards as Eva righted itself and stood. It could feel that there was something inside this creature that was unusual, yet familiar. There was a lilium inside it, this thing that seemed like a mockery of the father. No...not the father... something else. It couldn't be what it thought, but neither could it be denied.

Despite this, it had it's destiny to perform. It lunged forward and attacked the Eva, it's energy spear extending from it's arm and used it like a sword, slashing it's enemy across its chest.

"ARGH!" Shinji cried out as the Eva started to stumble back.

The Angel slashed again and again, before finally grabbing Eva's throat with it's other hand, and lifting him up into the air. The Angel grabbed Eva's left arm and pulled with all it's might as if trying to tear it off.

"AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Shinji shouted, the pain was unbearable. He could feel his arm being crushed, even though it was the Eva's arm that was being crushed.

"Shinji, calm down, that's not your real arm!" Maya suddenly called out, almost like she thought her words could help.

"My Brain...Can't Tell...The Difference!" He screamed, holding his arm indifferently to her cries.

He felt what Eva felt. Only one thing came to mind: 'Why would you build something like that?'

A loud crack knocked him out of his thoughts as the Angel twisted the Eva's arm, breaking it, and then went one further as it stabbed the broken limb with the energy spear, the feeling digging into Shinji's arm as if striking the bone.

"GOD! AAAAHHH!" Shinji cried out again, struggling to try and get away. That's when he felt it. The impact of something striking his head. Or Eva's head. He wasn't sure which, but he sure as hell couldn't tell as he noticed a bright light heading right for him.

The bridge was suddenly filled with his pained screams as The Angel continuously pounded the Eva's head.

"There's a crack in the head armor!" yelled the long haired tech named Shigeru.

"The brain case is breaking, it can't take much more!" Makoto, the tech next to him, shouted.

The spear suddenly went through Eva's head, pushing him back and slamming him into a building hard, blood spraying out of it's body.

"Maya, give me the pilot's status!" said Misato, concern was evident in her voice.

"Neural connections reversing! Synch ratio dropping! Unable to read pilot's life signals!"

_Damn we were so close. There's no choice now,_ Misato thought as she watched the situation. "The pilots life is top priority, eject the entry plug!"

"I can't, its rejecting the signal!" Yelled Maya.

Misato's eyes were wide as saucers. "What Did You Say?"

Outside, laying prone against the building, the giant Eva silently rested. Seconds passed like hours, before the systems inside NERV suddenly spiked to life.

"Ma'am! The Eva is reactivating itself!" Shouted Makoto as he turned to the main screen.

Everybody watched silently as the giant mecha slowly rose up to it's full height.

"Its...Its..." but Misato couldn't finish the sentence. A sudden flash of Unit 00's activation test came to her mind as Unit 01 let out a fierce growl.

"Berserker..." Ritsuko finished for her friend, also with concern and fear in her voice.

"Ma'am, we're receiving readings from the pilot!" Yelled Maya getting the bridge's attention.

"What?" Shouted the doctor.

"Pulse and heartbeat are off the scale! Adrenaline levels spiking! Psychological readings are out of control!" Maya shouted, watching the readings come in at her terminal.

"VISUAL!" Misato shouted, turning to the main screen as the young woman brought it up.

The static eventually cleared, revealing the entry plug and a young boy gripping the controls tightly. Actually, Misato noticed that only one hand was gripping the controls. The other was wrapped tightly around the pendant Ginji had given him.

"Captain! Pilot's synch ratio is rising!" Maya shouted as her terminal gave her the readout.

"What?" Misato shouted back as she moved to look over her shoulder. "What is it?"

"It looks like it's spiking around...87.9!"

Ritsuko was about to say something when a powerful explosion rocked the base. Everyone turned to look up and saw that Unit 01 had literally launched itself at the Angel and was currently trying to tear through its AT-Field.

What was different was that it was using _both_ arms to tear through the field.

"It's repaired it's arm? Impossible!" she cried as Maya made the main screen change into a split view of the battle.

On the left side was Unit 01 breaking through the AT-Field, on the right, the young boy who now had an angry look on his face. A sharp contrast to the childish façade he put up before.

The boy shouted his rage as Unit 01 broke through the AT-Field and slammed hard into the Angel. The impact was enough to knock the creature down, as well as slide it down the main street where it came to a grinding rest at the base of a large building. The Eva started to pound hard on the Angel, each blow echoing through the night as the assault continued unabated.

Had the Angel been able to show facial expressions, it would have been something akin to shock, confusion, and even fear. The arm that the Angel had broken had suddenly regenerated and had proven successful in tearing through it's AT-Field like paper. Now it was on the receiving end of multiple blows that it couldn't block. It's red core in the center of it's body was starting to crack. Another few seconds of the relentlessness and it would be destroyed.

But it wasn't going down alone!

The Angel raised it's arm up and shot it's energy spear at it's attacker. However, Eva grabbed the arm before it could get near it's head again, and savagely twisted it back. With a bone-shattering crack the Angel's arm broke, then fell to the side limply.

In the command bridge, everybody stared in fear and shock as their creation continued it's assault as the pilot started shouting in what could only be described as pure rage.

"Ritz...what the hell is going on?" Misato asked her friend.

"I...I really don't know, Misato." Ritsuko said, her hands covering her head as her brain went into overdrive trying to figure out what was actually happening. "It's almost as if, they were mimicking each other. As if they had both become berserkers."

The Angel raised it's AT-Field as quickly as it could, knocking the Eva off of it's body, desperate to get free of the attack, then stood up and looked at it's breaking core.

The purple Eva scrambled to it's feet and charged the Angel again. That was when the Angel made a last desperate attempt. It jumped at the on-coming war machine, it's body turning to clay or jelly, wrapping itself around it's foe.

"Energy building up inside the Angel!" Maya shouted.

"It's coming from the core!" Makoto shouted.

"It's going to self-destruct!" Shigeru shouted.

"SHINJI!" came Misato's voice as a blinding light filled the night sky, the thunderous earthquake-like explosion making the whole base rattle.

A huge cross shaped explosion spiraled to the night sky in moments, illuminating the entire city and countryside for miles around.

Silence overcame everyone as the crew just stared at the static-filled screen.

"Main surface cameras damaged, switching to back-up cameras." a tech suddenly said after the shockwave succeeded in damaging their outside view.

"Cameras back on line." Said another tech.

The screen returned to normal, showing the devastation before them. A few buildings were blown out, the streets were a wreck. A few fires here and there, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. There was a large blazing fire in the center of the city, right where the Angel had exploded.

"What about the Eva?" whispered Misato, as she kept her eyes glued to the screen.

"Something moving!" Maya shouted.

All eyes directed to the screen as from out of the blaze, Eva 01 strolled out as if it was a demon emerging from hell itself. It's horn was cracked, the right arm and shoulder were charred by flame, and it's undamaged eye was glowing brightly despite the fire.

Everyone was stunned, none more so than the elderly Sub-commander.

"We've done it." Gendo Ikari said to his colleague.

"Yes, but can we control that much power?" the older man said, obvious fear in his voice.

The supreme commander of NERV only smirked.

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The streets of Tokyo-3...

"What was that, mister?" the little girl asked as she shielded her eyes from the brilliant light of the explosion and fire.

"The power of a mothers love." Ginji Katsuragi said as he cradled the child in his arms. He then turned away and headed back to the nearest shelter.

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Authors Notes:

How was that for a fight? Not bad? Not good? Different? Original? (Doubtful) I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. It was a little hard to write, trying to make it original while still keeping with the basic plotline of the story.

Also, care to guess who the little girl is at the end of this story? Huh? Come on, guess!

Anyway, there's not a lot I can say about this chapter than hasn't already been figured out. I hope though that you will read and review and give me my props where warranted.


	4. Home

_Chapter 4_

**Home**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from NGE. DAMN MIDDLE CLASS!

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_Ohhh, I have such a headache..._ Shinji thought as he rubbed his forehead, completely ignoring the environment he was in. His head was throbbing slightly, his arm was sore as well. He looked over and noticed a vase with flowers in it with a card that said, 'Get Well Soon'.

Shinji turned his focus to the unfamiliar ceiling over him and rested for a few more minutes before he finally decided to get up, put on his clothes, which first included his pendant, and walked out into the hallway. He saw a doctor and some nurses pushing a stretcher with a girl on it. She was wrapped in bandages, but he could tell she had blue hair, pale skin and red eyes. As she passed, Shinji thought she looked familiar. Even more, she was staring at him.

"Rei Ayanami." a voice said behind him.

Shinji turned around and saw Ginji standing behind him.

_I didn't even hear him_. He thought as he turned to the older man. "What?"

"Her name is Rei Ayanami, designated pilot of Unit 00." Ginji said.

_Rei Ayanami. So that's her name_. Shinji thought as he turned back to the man.

"So what do you think of her?"

Shinji suddenly blushed. "What?"

"I only ask because she's an Eva pilot too. You'll be working with her as soon as she's healed."

Shinji calmed down at that. "Oh. Well, I don't know. We just met and we haven't even talked yet." the boy said looking down.

"Granted. Come on. Misato wants to talk to us."

"Alright." he nodded and followed the man in black down the hallway.

The pair stopped at the elevator as Ginji pressed the down button.

"So, how long will I have to do this?" Shinji asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. Our information isn't 100, but we think there are approximately 15 Angels, and you've already defeated one. However we don't know when the rest are going to arrive." Ginji explained with a sigh. "Could be weeks, months, a whole year. We just have to be prepared."

Suddenly, the elevator door opened up, revealing the grim visage of Gendo Ikari. Ginji tensed up, but Shinji declined to even look at his father. No words passed among the trio, the doors closed and Shinji and Ginji were alone.

"Don't let him phase you, Shinji." Ginji said. "It takes more than blood to make a father."

"I...I'll remember that." the boy said, slightly comforted by his words.

The elevator opened up as the next car came. The pair got inside and headed down to their location.

"So, do you remember anything about the battle?" Ginji asked after a few minutes.

Shinji was a little unsure of how to answer that, most of his memories were blurry.

"I'm not sure. I remember getting into the Eva, I remember fighting it. I remember..."

"Pain?"

"Yes."

"I told you this job would be difficult, Shinji. It'll be hard, and long, and emotionally trying. But you can do it, Shinji, I know you can." he said as the elevator stopped, opened and the pair stepped out.

"You... you really believe that?"

Ginji smiled at the boy. "I do. You have a strength inside you that you aren't aware of."

"Well, listen to you, waxing poetically." Misato said as she appeared in the hallway.

Ginji kissed his wife on the cheek, hugging her tightly. "Good job last night, Misato."

"Thanks, but Shinji did most of the work." she smiled at the boy.

"Uh..thank you, Mrs. Katsuragi. But I didn't do it alone." Shinji replied.

"Please don't call me that. It makes me sound old." she slightly frowning.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Shinji." Ginji said. "Misato's just trying to hang on to her lost youth."

"Hey!" the woman cried as she slapped him playfully on the arm.

"I'm just kidding, hon." he smiled, hugging her.

"Well, if you're done teasing your wife, we have to go see the housing agent to find out where Shinji's going to be placed."

"Actually... that's something I wanted to talk to you about."

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(What did you say?) Ritsuko shouted at Misato through the telephone.

"I said Ginji and I are taking Shinji to live with us. It's already been approved so there's no problem. We've got enough room at our place. And don't worry, I won't try putting the moves on him." Misato added the last part playfully.

(The Hell You Won't!) shouted the short tempered blonde. (You're A Married Woman For Crying Out Loud! How You Could Even Suggest Something Like That Is Just...)

"Jeez, some people don't have any sense of humor..." the purple haired woman said, holding the phone away from her ears.

Off to the side, Shinji and Ginji were just watching and smiling at the scene.

"Are they always like that?" Shinji asked.

"Only on good days." Ginji replied.

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Ginji stared at the car.

"You can't be serious." he said, staring in disbelief at the ducktape on the bumper.

"I am." Misato smiled sheepishly.

"I think we'd better take my car. We'll have to send yours into the shop." Ginji said as he pulled his cellphone and tossed Misato the keys.

"Fine. I am sorry about this." she said with a sad smile, as if apologizing.

"I know, hon." he said as the phone picked up. "Yeah, Tokyo-3 Auto Club? It's me again. The blue Renault. Yes, she did. Yeah, could you?"

"What was that all about?" Shinji asked as Misato lead him over to a black sports car.

Misato smiled. "Let's just say that this isn't the first time I've gotten my car smashed." she said as she opened the car door and let Shinji into the backseat.

"They'll be here tomorrow morning." Ginji said as he walked up to them.

"Great."

"Uh, sir?"

"Shinji, don't call me sir. It's Ginji." he said.

"Right. Sorry."

Ginji just sighed. "What is it, Shinji?"

"Uh, what kinda car is this?" he asked, looking at the slick vehicle.

Ginji paused as he looked at his car and grinned proudly.

"Oh, no." Misato groaned. She knew that look.

"Shinji, what you're looking at is a custom built vehicle I've been working on for years. I call it, Steel Wind. It's got a Porsche chassis with a Corvette Stingray engine block. The engine itself has been heavily modified, producing an excess of 730 horse power. It's got a top speed of 190 mph with a nitrous injector for boost speeds of 250 mph for about ten seconds. The body is covered in 5 mm-thick battleship steel armor plating, and the windows are made of a combination of bulletproof glass and Lexgard plastic." Ginji explained. "I got the idea from a popular anime called _Riding Bean_."

Shinji just stared in awe. Everything Ginji had just said made sense to him in many respects, but any more complicated and he'd be lost.

"I'm not telling you this to impress you, Shinji. I'm telling you this, because I'm proud of the work I did. Just as you should be proud of what you did today."

"Yes, sir." he said as he got into the back seat.

"You never give me such enthusiasm." Misato pouted.

"With Shinji right here?" he smiled as got into the drivers seat.

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"Where are we going again?" Shinji asked to his new guardians as he drove through the still empty streets. Misato was in the passenger seat with Shinji in the back. Ginji was driving.

"We're just going to get a few things to have a little welcoming party for our new roommate." Misato said to him.

"I don't want to be a bother." Shinji said.

"You're not a bother, Shinji." Ginji assured him. "Besides, we volunteered to take you in."

The trio stopped off at the corner grocery store and stocked up on all kinds of junk food, sodas and instant foods. They then drove to a spot overlooking the entire city of Tokyo-3.

"Why did we come here?" Shinji asked. _Nice view though._ The setting sun was creating a beautiful mix of red, orange, yellow and... purple? Still, Shinji was impressed enough to not be judgmental.

"Any second now." Misato said, ignoring her young charges question.

"What do yo...?" He said before he was interrupted by the sounds of alarms and machinery moving. "Wow..." he muttered as he leaned forwards on the railing. Before him, the city of Tokyo-3 started rising up out of the ground. "The city! It's like it's growing!"

"This is Tokyo-3, our home, and the city that you saved Shinji." Ginji said, resting a hand on the boys shoulder, as if for some silent encouragement and congratulations.

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It was already nightfall when the trio arrived at the apartment complex that they would be sharing from now on.

"We just moved in a few days ago." Misato said as they arrived at their apartment. "Your stuff Shinji should have already been delivered. It's a three bedroom so we've got lots of room. Just put the food in the fridge and then we'll make some..." She trailed off when she noticed her young charge was still outside the door. "Shinji, what's wrong?"

"I...I don't want to intrude or anything." the boy said, holding his bag and some groceries.

Ginji just smiled at the boy. "Shinji, this is your home now."

Shinji gave the pair a small smile and stepped through the door. "Home."

"Welcome home." the pair said warmly as the door closed behind him.

"It's a bit messy, but try to make yourself comfy." Misato said.

Shinji's eyes widened at the sight before him, there were trash bags piled in the corner of the kitchen, all the furniture was stained and in disarray, beer cans and other alcoholic drinks bottles were scattered everywhere. Needless to say, Shinji had only one thought come to mind.

"This is a **little** messy?"

Ginji just frowned at her. "Reminds me of our first apartment."

"Before or after the open house party?" Misato joked.

"Both." he said as he went to put the groceries away in the refrigerator. "Misato, why don't you go and get changed. Shinji and I'll take care of this."

"Alright." she said, leaving the grocery bags on the kitchen table and retreating to the bedroom.

"At least we'll be able to get some stuff cleaned up without her here." Ginji said.

"Um... is she always this messy?" Shinji asked as he started bagging the trash on the floor.

"Usually." Ginji stated as he started cleaning the counters. "Misato's job, as director of operations for NERV, is very difficult. As a result, she needs to unwind and relax in her own way. And before you ask, I didn't marry Misato because of her housekeeping skills. I married her because I love her."

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Eventually, Misato came out of her room wearing a very loose sleeveless shirt and denim hotpants and quickly took to heating a few instant meals.

"Oh Yeah! This is what makes life good!" Yelled Misato after drinking half a can of her beer in one go.

Ginji just shook his head and smiled as he drank his own tea.

"You certainly have some healthy habits." Shinji said simply as he just stared at the woman gorge herself on her 'liquid diet'.

Misato just stuck her tongue out at him.

The trio continued eating, until Misato got a bright idea. "How about we play a game to divide up the chores?" the slightly drunk woman suggested. "How about it, Shinji?" she asked, leaning over to give the boy an eyeful of her bra-less torso.

"Misato, stop that! You don't have to traumatize the poor boy." Ginji smirked.

"You seem comfortable with this." Shinji said, intently trying to look away from the gifted woman.

"Kid, I'm married to her. Nothing she does can phase me." he retorted.

"Oh? What about last Thursday?" she smirked.

Ginji blushed a little and downed the rest of his tea.

Ten minutes later...

"One...two...Three!" the pair shouted as they threw their hands out.

Shinji looked disappointed.

"I'm sorry Shinji; it looks like this isn't your day..." Misato smiled.

End of the game schedule (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun)

Breakfast: (Shin, Misa, Shin, Shin, Gin, Shin, Gin)

Dinner: (Gin, Shin, Misa, Gin, Shin, Gin, Shin)

Housekeeping: (Shin, Gin, Shin, Gin, Gin, Shin, Misa)

Shinji wasn't really complaining about this arrangement. As Ginji had mentioned, if this was how she lived, he could only imagine how her cooking must be. Especially if the first thing she went for was the instant and her beer.

"All things considered, we're probably better off." Ginji joked.

Misato chucked a beer car at his head, which he head butted right back at her, causing said can to drop into her loose shirt.

"HEY!" she cried as she dug the can out of her shirt, which had fallen in half way before she caught it.

"One would think you'd have learned your lesson after last time, Misa-chan." he winked.

She grimaced a little then turned back to Shinji as she set the can down. "Shinji, you've probably had a trying day. Why don't you go take a bath, relax and get a good night rest?"

Shinji could only nod. It sounded like the best offer he had all day. He stood up, bowed, and then left for the bathroom.

"So, what do you think of Shinji Ikari?" Ginji asked his wife.

"He's a good kid." Misato exclaimed while sipping her beer. "Just needs to loosen up a bit."

"Considering what he's been through in his life, he is normal."

"Being the commander's son, no doubt. Least he didn't end up like him."

"God forbid."

"WAARRK!"

"Uh-oh." Ginji said as he turned to the bathroom door.

Seconds later, Shinji exploded out of the bathroom and into the entryway of the kitchen, naked as the day he was born and with a rather shocked penguin waddling up beside him.

"Oh, sorry for not telling you about him, Shinji." Ginji said. "He's your other roommate."

"That's Pen-Pen." Misato answered. "He's one of those warm water penguins." She said while drinking her beer. "Don't mind him, he likes to take hot baths every once in a while..."

The bird looked up at Shinji, nodded, and waddled away from him, over the other refrigerator that Shinji hadn't noticed before, and went inside.

"That's his room." Ginji said. "Misato couldn't help but adopt him."

"Oh. Alright." Shinji just said.

"...err...Shinji?" Said Misato.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you cover up?"

Hearing this, Shinji looked down, flushed bright red, covered up his nakedness and dashed back into the bathroom.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stare at him." Ginji grinned.

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"Ahhh. She was right this feels good." Shinji said out loud while relaxing in the hot tub. _Ginji and Misato Katsuragi. They're good people. Kind enough to take me in. _He clutched the pendant that was around his neck. _I really owe Ginji for this. I'll have to repay him somehow_. He stared at the ceiling as his thoughts drifted to the girl he had seen. _That girl was Rei Ayanami, the same one I saw...or thought I saw...on the street. Ginji said we'll be working together. I wonder what's she really like?_

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In a decimated control room overlooking the orange cyclops known as Evangelion unit 00, the grim Commander just stared.

"Did you go and visit Rei today?" Dr Akagi asked as she entered the room.

"She will be able to work in twenty days. That should be enough time to reactivate Unit 00." he said, unmoving.

"It's really hard on these poor kids."

"We have no other option. As long as they can pilot, that is what I will have them do."

"Without any regard to what they want, or to what they need, to...?"

"Do you know how Katsuragi managed to find a picture of my wife?" he cut her off.

She sighed. "I asked him about that. He said the sub-commander was kind enough to give him one of the pictures he kept from when Yui was his student. I talked to the sub-commander about that, and he said he was pleased to do it when he found out that it was for Shinji."

"I see."

"And, with all due respect, it did seem to help him."

"Very well, doctor. You are dismissed."

She turned and walked off.

The commander kept staring at Unit 00. As he stared, he mused.

_Ginji is exerting his influence over my son. Even Rei has shown him some measure of favor. Damn him! If he wasn't so useful as an agent I'd fire him. His loyalty is to his wife, and to NERV. It is obvious he does not like me, but that is of little concern right now. He will protect the children, and for now that is all I need of him. _

He sighed again as he noticed that he was getting frustrated again over the man. _I have not been this frustrated since we first met. Back when he was calling himself... no... he was found wandering through the arctic cold, he was obviously delirious. He is Ginji Katsuragi now, not that... other name. His memories of that day have virtually left him. He concentrates on the now, not the past. There is nothing left in the past to remember. The first fifteen years of his life he knows nothing. Pity._

With that, the man of evil turned and left the room, closing the doors after turning the lights off.

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Back in the now Katsuragi/Ikari residence, Shinji was lying on his bed, just listening to his SDAT play some old ballads. He raised his left hand to his eye, touching it gently as the phantom pain only slightly lingered there.

"It still feels weird." he whispered as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

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Ginji and Misato's bedroom...

"So, hon, where were you when Shinji was fighting the Angel?" Misato asked as she pulled her sleeveless shirt off, not caring if Ginji saw her naked. (Actually, she insisted on it)

"Would you believe rescuing a little girl from being crushed by the Eva/Angel fight?" Ginji said as he hung up his coat which he dropped on the bed before dinner.

Misato froze. "You were **outside** during the battle?"

"I had to, Misato." he said as he stripped his black shirt off. "It was important." he tossed his shirt into the laundry basket as he suddenly felt two arms wrap around him from behind, and two soft round objects press against his back.

"You're what's important to me, Ginji." she cried as she hugged him tightly. "Don't you ever do anything like that to me ever again!" she said, crying.

He felt the tears on her back and turned around to embrace her tightly. She kept crying into his chest as he just held her.

"Everything you said is coming true." Misato said softly as she continued crying.

"Yes it is." he replied as he rubbed her back soothingly. "But this time, I've got a shot at changing things. To make things better. Shinji's going to need us, Misato. And I'm not going to fail him."

Misato leaned forward and kissed her husband passionately, which he returned without hesitation. She loved it when he got like this. His determination, his resolve. It made her so hot.

"I love you, Misa-chan." he said as he lifted her into his arms and slowly walked to the bed.

"I love you too...Shinji-kun." she whispered before covering his mouth with her own.

It was fortunate that Shinji had his ears buried in his SDAT. The loud and lengthy sounds of Ginji and Misato making love wold have kept him up all night.

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Authors Notes:

Starting to get the idea behind this story so far? Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, it doesn't matter, as I've got a lot of work to do to get the other chapters ready. I don't know if I'm going to go through all the Angel battles through all twenty-six episodes and two movies. But I promise I'll come up with something.

I initially had this idea of doing a story that revolved around Misato, but I decided to do one where she didn't have such a hard life. And her life is very hard, so I thought to give her something with which could hold her to life.

But to be fair, and to have everyone accept Ginji, I had to make him worthy of Misato. To at least make him her equal. Evidence of this will be shown in the later chapters.


	5. New Training

_Chapter 5_

**New Training**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I own nothing from NGE, because that would mean I would have to deal with lawyers and I hate lawyers. (Except for Matthew Murdock and Jennifer Walters)

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The piercing cold of the winter surroundings stung at his hide as he wandered through it. His skin tight plugsuit was giving him virtually no protection. He knew the only way he could survive was to keep moving.

"Have to keep moving... but why..." he said as he stopped for a second. "I don't... even know... where I am."

He looked around and tried staring through the thickness of the down falling snow. It was coming down so hard he could barely make out anything that wasn't within three feet. And even that was beginning to diminish.

"No... hope... I don't... know what... I'm supposed to ... find..." he shivered violently as he suddenly fell to the ground. His hands and knees were completely engulfed by the snow.

Just then, a light peered through darkness.

"Over here! I saw it!" he heard a voice say.

"Honey, what are you talking about?" another voice, belonging to an older man, asked. "There's nothing out..."

"HERE!" the first voice shouted.

Dull images around him started to blur and eventually began to fade.

"What the..."

"What is it?"

"It's a... boy." he heard before passing out completely.

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He opened his eyes. There was a heavy blurry feeling surrounding him, his sight nearly blinded by the light overhead. He noticed that he wasn't cold anymore, a soft weight in the form of what he figured were heated blankets resting on him. He blinked to try and focus his vision.

Suddenly, a strange purple blob moved into his line of sight.

"Hey, are you awake?" the blob asked.

The voice sounded female, but he continued to force himself to focus.

In response to the blobs question, he nodded his head.

Slowly but surely his vision returned. His eyes began to focus and he was finally able to distinguish features.

A cute freckle-less face, warm sparkling blue eyes, notably effeminate features, and wavy purple hair. It was a girl, and she looked virtually the same age as himself.

"Hi. I'm Misato. Misato Katsuragi. Who are you?" the girl asked.

He looked at her for a few seconds before answering.

"I'm...Shinji. Shinji Ikari." he said before darkness consumed him once more.

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Ginji awoke to find himself safe in his own bed, his arms wrapped around his beautiful wife. He sighed as he hugged his wife, whose back was to him. He kissed her bare shoulders, which caused her to stir.

"Mmm." she moaned as her eyes fluttered open and she rolled around in his arms to face the man. "Morning, handsome." Misato whispered into his chest.

"Morning, beautiful." Ginji whispered back to her as he kissed her forehead.

He stared into her soft brown eyes, stroking the side of her face gently.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him, holding his hand on her cheek.

"Just... dreaming." he said, holding her close.

"About what?"

"The first day we met."

Her eyes went wide. She knew what he was talking about and her face fell a little.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't like discussing that."

Misato smiled at him. "You were the only good thing that came out of it."

"We both came out of it, Misa-chan." he said as he kissed her softly.

"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked, not caring and not really wanting to get up.

Ginji sighed. "Ritsuko wants to start the tests on Shinji with Unit 01 as soon as possible."

Misato frowned. "Is that a good idea? I mean, to have him start training so early?"

"He doesn't have any training now. I don't want to force him into the pilot seat, but right now he's the only one who can combat the Angels."

Misato sighed and nodded. She knew he was right. She didn't want to force this on Shinji, but right now he was the only pilot they had. Here and functional, that is.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji woke up and reached over to turn his alarm clock off. He then grabbed the pendant with his mothers picture in it.

"Morning, mom." Shinji said as he smiled and pulled the small chain over his neck.

He stood up and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower he headed into the kitchen where he quickly got to work on breakfast. It was his turn to cook, which was almost redundant since it was virtually every other day.

Pen-Pen came up and patted his leg. Shinji looked down and smiled.

"Your fish will be ready in a couple minutes." Shinji said to the warm water fowl. He may not have understood him verbatim, but a hungry animal is something everyone understands.

Back inside Ginji and Misato's bedroom...

"So, do you really think we can be his family?" Misato asked as she pulled her fairly skimpy sleeping clothes. Normally she preferred to sleep naked and would have done so with breakfast, but Ginji insisted she wear something. Didn't want to scare Shinji as he put it.

"We couldn't be worse than the commander." he replied, pulling a black shirt over his athletic torso.

"Ginji... how... how do you know Shinji? You've met him before, haven't you?"

"Yes. Do you remember that time I was in New Osaka?"

"You mean six months ago after we left Germany? You were on assignment for NERV, but I thought it was scouting mission for new techs and security."

"It was... but that's where I met Shinji. He was living with his teacher then. I told his teacher who I was, but I didn't tell Shinji that. Didn't even tell him my real name." Ginji said as he pulled his jeans on and buckled his belt.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"I guess I just didn't want him to know. About NERV, Eva, everything."

"But...he had to know. I mean.."

"I know. But I didn't want him to do this for NERV." he said with some sadness. "It's unfair to ask that of him. Of any child really. If I could take his place, I would have. But..."

"I know, hon." Misato said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I would have also."

"Anyway, after meeting with him I told him that if he was ever in Tokyo-3 or that general area to look me up. Strange thing was, he didn't even ask for my name. After that I tried to find the other kids."

"With no success."

"No." he said. _Which is weird, you'd think something this important would have dozens of ready candidates by now. It's almost as if someone wanted Shinji to be the pilot of Unit 01. _"But now that we have Shinji, and he's already proven himself in his first battle, we have no choice but to make sure he's the best there is. I'll make sure of that."

"Does that mean you're going to take over his training?" she smirked.

"Of course. Can't have anyone but the best saving the world."

"Of course." Misato smiled. "Come on, Shinji's making breakfast."

"I know. I smelled it five minutes ago." he sniffed the air again. "Actually, it smells like he's cooking Pen-Pen's fish first."

"What? Why?"

"Well, he is the proverbial early bird."

Misato gave him a smirk. "He doesn't have a reason to stay in bed all day."

"That's supposed to be my line." Ginji said with a smile as he headed out to get breakfast. Misato gripped his arm, which stopped him from the door.

"Do you really think we can be Shinji's family?" she asked.

Ginji pulled his wife close and kissed her cheek.

"He's been alone for ten years, Misa-chan. He's had no one with which to really connect with, and his own father wants virtually nothing to do with him. We may not be the perfect family, but there's no way we could be worse than his father."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In a large, dark office, a bearded man wearing gloves sneezed.

_Blast it! Why am I sneezing so much lately? It's happened more in recent days since the Third Angel arrived. Is someone talking about me? Why would they? Who would even know about me?_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive of my information."

"And this is the man we hired to serve our scenario?"

"Gentlemen. His personal problems have nothing to do with his competency as a commander."

"I would say that to be an understatement."

"I don't mean to sound like a prude, but do we really want all of NERV and the Eva's controlled by a man who comes in less than two minutes when he's with a woman?"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"AH-CHOO!" Gendo sneezed.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Meanwhile...

"Mmm! Shinji this is great!" Misato moaned happily as she wolfed down the food he had prepared.

"Thank you, Mrs... Misato." the boy replied.

The older woman just smiled at him. _He can be taught_.

"Yeah, you're going to make a great chef someday, Shinji." Ginji replied as he ate as well.

"Really?"

"Well, you're not going to be a pilot forever, right?"

"No. I... I never really thought about it."

"Well, you should." the man replied. "You've got a lot of potential and a lot of good years ahead of you. I mean you're only 14, right?"

"Right."

"Eat up, Shinji, you've got a big day today." Misato grinned.

"Really? Why?" the boy asked in mild surprise.

Misato threw Ginji a look. "You didn't tell him?"

"Well, I was kinda busy last night..." he said with a grin.

She giggled and turned back to the boy. "We've got to go into NERV for testing and training."

"Oh. Okay."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji landed hard on the mat, the wind knocked out of him for a brief moment.

"Get back up, Shinji. That wasn't bad, but you have to focus." Ginji said as he positioned himself in a fighting stance once more.

"Right. Sorry." the boy said as he stood up and turned to face the older man.

Had anyone walked in, you would have thought you were looking at a father and son. They were standing apart from each other, both dressed in black sweat pants and black tanktops. Their basic appearance was virtually identical, in both the hair and eye color. Their facial features almost the same as well. However, the most obvious difference was that the older man was much more athletic and built next to the shorter, skinnier boy.

"You have to focus Shinji. We're in a war, and in war, people die. Your commitment to your purpose has to be absolute or other people will die. The slightest hesitation on your part, and _you_ die. And if you do, other people will have to take your place. Like Rei, for example."

Shinji gasped, which gave Ginji the opening he needed to move in and gently tap the boy in the chest, which knocked him down.

"I'm sorry for putting this in your head, Shinji." he said as he helped the boy to his feet. "But you have to understand how serious this is. Given the choice we wouldn't ask you to do this. Hell, if I could I'd take your place inside the Eva."

Shinji looked at Ginji, giving him his full attention.

"Misato feels the same way. Its unfair to ask you and the other children to do all this, but you're the only one who can. You have the talent to pilot the Eva and until this war is over, we need you to keep doing that. Be strong, Shinji, and don't run away. Do you understand?"

Shinji was silent for a couple seconds, thinking, 'I mustn't run away', before answering. "Yes. I do."

Ginji smiled. "Good. Now remember, when you face an opponent, any opponent, be sure that you keep your head." he said, tapping the side of his temple with his finger. "The right state of mind can mean the difference between either victory or defeat. But more important is your ability to adapt."

"Adapt?"

"Human beings can adapt to virtually every situation. This ability to adapt is both internal and external. The external ones are obvious: like how they use scuba gear to go underwater, thick wool parkas for winter environments, or shorts and a hat for sunny days. People even train themselves to withstand the shock of dangerous situations, purposely exposing themselves to intense heat, cold, even electricity."

Shinji looked at the man like he was kidding.

"And then there are the internal ones, which are more complicated."

"_More_ complicated? What do you mean?" he asked, both curious and intimidated.

"Internal adaptation is a state of mind. Making plans, mapping out a strategy, choosing a course of action. Thinking along these lines takes time to get used to. But the more you do it, the easier it will be for you. And the quicker you are able to adapt to a situation, the easier it will be for you to control the situation." Ginji explained.

"I... think I understand." he said, though it was obvious that he was still confused.

Ginji smiled as he rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry. With time and training you'll become a natural. Of course, that's a difficult thing to know."

"Why?"

"Because we don't know when the next Angel will attack."

"That's something I've been meaning to ask you." Shinji wondered. "Those things, those... creatures. Why do you call them Angels? I mean... aren't Angels supposed to be messengers from God?"

"Biblical Angels, sure. But these things aren't like those Angels. They're different. Alien creatures from outer space as far as we know. NERV calls them Angels, but I don't know exactly why. The sub-commander is the only one I asked about that, and his reason had something to do with some vague references to the Dead Sea Scrolls."

"Scrolls?"

"Sort of like the Nostradamus predictions, only much more ancient. I haven't seen them myself, but the fact is these creatures are coming, and we believe their intention is to wipe us out."

"But why? What did we do to them?"

"Knowing the human race, could be anything. But you shouldn't worry about that now."

"Really? Why?"

"Because I think you've had enough of a break." Ginji said as he moved in and leg swept the boy onto his rear end.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"How are you feeling Shinji?" Ritsuko asked through the intercom.

"Not too bad, Dr Akagi." Shinji said as he stretched his body out, his muscles still sore from his workout with Ginji. Right now he was trying to get comfortable. "But this suit is a little snug."

"Well, it's supposed to be skin tight." she said with a mildly amused grin.

"But... why?" he said, slightly whining.

"Because the plug suits are designed to allow for optimal synchronization between the Eva and its pilot, not for long walks through the park or anything like that." she said.

"Not your best explanation." Ginji said as he appeared behind Dr Akagi.

"Jeez! Would you stop doing that!" the blond gasped.

"You should learn to relax, Ritz-chan." the man in black said.

"There's too much at stake for me to take it easy." she said, going back to her notes.

"Like the man said, 'Matters of great concern should be treated lightly, while matters of small concern should be treated seriously'." Ginji said.

"Thank you, Confucius." she said sarcastically.

"Lord Naoshige, actually."

The good doctor shook her head and went on with the test. "Maya, start the simulation program."

"Yes ma'am." the young tech said as she punched the keys on he console.

A few moments later the view on the entry plug changed to one what looked like the streets of Tokyo-3.

"Alright, Shinji." the relatively calm blonde said. "We already know you can move the Eva, but you're going to have to be better if you're going to fight them on a regular basis."

"So, where do I start?" the boy asked.

"Basically, weapons training."

That didn't seem to enthuse Shinji much. He had had combat training with Ginji, but he didn't have any training with guns, knives, or rifles.

"Alright, Shinji. In each of your shoulder pylons there is a Progressive Knife. Pull one out and begin with the target in the center."

"Uh..."

"Third switch on your right controller." Ginji said.

Shinji pressed the button and the knife popped out of its shoulder.

Ritsuko tossed Ginji a look.

"What?" the man said. "You could have been a little more specific."

Shinji gripped the knife and took his fighting stance as the image of the Third Angel came up.

"Alright, Shinji, now we're going to start with that basics. Try a downward lateral strike to the center torso. Aim for the core."

"Uh.. Okay." Shinji replied, only to have Ginji sigh and cover his face as Shinji quickly lost to the simulator.

"What happened? I told you to do a downward lateral strike to the center torso and aim for the core." the doctor complained.

"I... thought I did." the boy replied.

Ginji stepped forward. "Let me try." he said, gently pushing Ritsuko aside. "Shinji, we're going to try again. This time, I want you to imagine that The Angel is a peach. The red sphere in the center is the pit. I want you to core the center, and remember to block that peach's arms."

"Right." Shinji replied as everyone looked at Ginji as if he was crazy.

This time Shinji gripped the knife in a slightly different way, and made a beeline for the red core of the Angel. He carved around it and popped it out of the Angel, remembering to block said attacks.

Everyone looked at what Shinji had done, then at Ginji, but he chose to address Dr Akagi.

"How..." she started to ask.

"He's a fourteen year old boy, Ritsuko. Not a military soldier." Ginji explained with a smile.

The blonde doctor tossed her clipboard in the air in frustration. "Alright, I think that's enough tests for the day." she said as she walked out.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was three days later and Shinji was up and getting ready for school. Though he was nervous.

"I'm a little nervous about this." Shinji said as he ate his breakfast.

"You mean starting at a new school?" Ginji asked.

"Yes. It's a new school, new people. I mean... I don't know what's going to happen."

"Sounds normal to me." Misato said as she downed another beer.

"Don't worry, Shinji." Ginji said as he chewed on his toast. "Just remember to address the Sensei with respect, avoid offending anyone... and most importantly!"

Shinji looked at Ginji as he emphasized the last part of his speech.

"Don't tell anyone you're an Eva pilot." he said. "Trust me, right now you don't want that kind of attention."

"Right." Shinji nodded his head at that

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tokyo-3 High School, long standing for a place that had only been built twenty years ago. Like the city itself after Second Impact, it had undergone some repairs and was working at full capacity. Even though Class 2-A was only little more than half full.

"Mister Aida!" said a pigtailed girl as she approached a bespectacled boy who was currently working on his laptop rather intently. "KENSUKE!" she shouted.

"Huh? What?" the boy panicked, nearly falling out of his seat.

"Did you deliver those printouts to Mister Suzuhara yesterday like I asked you to?"

"Oh! Class Rep! How are you?" He replied nervously, "Print outs? Well you see, I was a trying to find out more about the robot fight and I..." he started to say but was cut off.

"Kensuke, I can't believe you!" she shouted angry. "Toji's your best friend, right? Aren't you at least a bit concerned as to why he hasn't showed at school lately?"

"Word is he got grounded by his dad for not looking out for his sister four days ago when the battle happened." Kensuke explained. "Dad wouldn't let him go anywhere except to the bathroom. Whole time he stayed in his room. He's supposed to be back today."

She grumbled something under her breath and headed back to her desk as the jock walked in.

"Mornin' class rep. Was'up Ken." Toji said glumly.

"Hey man." the four-eyed boy said. "How you doing?"

"Just got out of solitary, literally."

"Yeah, I heard."

"How's your sister doing?"

"Better than me."

"Well I figured that. Heard she was outside the shelter during the battle."

"Yeah, came back without a scratch thanks to that man in black. I didn't even get a chance to thank him for that. After seeing what happened to the city, I was shocked she didn't even have a bruise."

"I'll bet _you_ did."

"That and worse." Toji groaned as he sat in his seat. "My old man was pissed when he found out I let her out of my sight. Can't blame him really."

Their conversation was cut short when the class rep started her duties.

"Stand! Bow! Sit!"

"Good morning students, I hope you all had a nice weekend, now lets get started." Said the teacher "Lets see...Aida, Kensuke?"

"Here"

"Ashitara, Sawa."

"Here"

"Ayanami, Rei?"

"She's absent today." answered the class rep.

The teacher nodded and continued. "Emoko, Chisato?"

"Here!"

"Fuji, Kagome?"

"Here!"

"Horaki, Hikari?"

"Here!"

"Ichikari, Honda?"

"Huh? Oh, here!"

"Ikari, Shinji?"

"Here!"

The teacher rattled off the rest of the names and then started his lecture on Second Impact and it's affect on the economy of the world.

While the teacher continued to talk on, Kensuke and Toji started their own conversation.

"Hey Toji!" Kensuke whispered to his friend.

"What?" muttered the bored jock.

"See that kid? The new one?"

Toji looked over. "Yeah? So what?"

"He's the one I wanted to talk to you about." the boy said. "Hikari said he's new, got transferred here a couple days after that robot fight."

"Yeah, so?" the jock said, still without interest.

Kensuke growled at the jock with irritation. "Well... a lot of people have been leaving lately. And he just got transferred to here. So... maybe he's the robot pilot."

Toji looked at Kensuke and looked at the new comer. He was wondering how this affected him. Now that he thought about it, had his sister Mari been out of the shelter and gotten hurt as a result of that pilot, he might have had a reason to care. But she had been returned unharmed thanks to that man in black, so there wasn't a reason for him to get involved in this.

However...

"Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please..."

"Alright!" Toji said in a mute breath so that he didn't get in trouble. "What do you want me to do?"

"Help me find out if he's the pilot."

He groaned, but looked around the room for something that could help his rather annoying friend. If for no other reason than to get Kensuke off his back.

"Hey, Keiko, Yuri!" Toji whispered.

"What do you want?" the annoyed Yuri asked.

"Could you do me a little favor?"

Shinji was surfing the net on his laptop searching for information on either cellos or new recipes as to what to cook tonight. He was jarred out of his search when a New Message sign appeared on his computer. "Huh? A new message?" he wondered, shrugging as he clicked on the message.

_(Are you the pilot of the giant robot?)_

"What?" he asked as he looked around the room, then saw a couple girls waving at him. They were cute, but Shinji remembered what Ginji had told him.

_(What giant robot?_)

_(The giant robot that was involved in that battle a few days ago.) _

_(Sorry. I just got here_. He replied.

Needless to say that wasn't the response Kensuke and the others were expecting, especially since Kensuke had routed the message board to every terminal.

"Too bad. He's kinda cute." Yuri whispered to Keiko.

"Yeah." Keiko whispered back, then typed on her keyboard.

_(Alright, sorry to bother you. It's just that you're new and we figured we ask.)_

_(No problem.) _He replied and went back to his recipes.

"Guess he's not the one." Toji said, nodding to the two girls for their help.

"He's got to be! I'll bet they told him not to say anything and he's just following orders." Kensuke said to his friend.

"They? Will you give it a rest with your conspiracy theory?"

"But I'm telling you..."

"And I'm telling you to knock it off!" Toji said louder

"YOU TWO!" Hikari suddenly shouted.

"Uh-oh." the pair chorused together.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"I still think.."

"Kensuke, if you don't shut up, I swear you're going to be wearing this water bucket." the jock said as he continued to heft up the two water buckets over his shoulders next to the nerd who was doing the same thing. Their punishment for disrupting the class.

Suddenly, the alarms sounded.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Ok Shinji, once you get to the surface, expand your AT field, we'll send you an assault riffle once you're there." Said Dr. Akagi through the intercom.

"Understood." Shinji replied as he settled into the cockpit of the giant mechanoid. He sighed deeply as he clutched his pendant.

_I wish I had had more practice with the rifle. _Shinji thought as he heard Misato shout to him.

"Eva Launch!" Misato's voice echoed through the command bridge.

The Evangelion was catapulted through the elevator at tremendous velocity, finally ending up on the surface mere seconds later.

"Begin the attack!" Misato ordered.

Shinji got out of the elevator harness and leveled the rifle at the Angel. He fired a volley at the strange eel-like creature, but it had little effect than to create a blinding screen of smoke.

"Damn it! Shinji, you're just making smoke!" Misato shouted at him.

"Told you the gun was a bad idea." Ginji exclaimed to Ritsuko as he moved to Misato's side.

"And I suppose you have a better one?" the blonde asked.

Ginji looked at the screen a second and then his eyebrows flew up. "SHINJI MOVE!"

Shinji, not one to disobey his mentor, did exactly that. He shifted the controls to the right, moving Eva quickly to the side as a pair of energy whips suddenly shot forth from the smoke and thankfully only managed to slice the rifle apart.

_How did he know that?_ Ritsuko wondered as Misato started shouting.

"We're sending you a spare gun. Try to get to Weapon Building C!"

"I can't!" Shinji called back.

"What?"

Everyone turned to see that Shinji's power cable had been cut and he had been grabbed by the Angel and tossed out of the city itself.

"External power disabled, switching to internal power, five minutes left of activation!" Maya suddenly shouted as the countdown appeared on the screen.

However, Shinji's focus was not on five minutes he had left, it was the Angel that was advancing upon him. He hadn't noticed that he had created an Eva-shaped crater in the side of the mountain. He was about to call for help or even orders, when he noticed movement by Eva's left hand.

"What the? Aren't those the guys from my class who got in trouble?" he said in shock as he was about to switch to the Eva's outside speakers to order them to get back inside the shelter.

However, he did get the chance as he noticed the Angel was advancing upon him.

Toji looked at his friend Kensuke with a murderous glare. It was his fault they were in mortal danger now. All because he had somehow convinced the jock to help him get out of the shelter and go watch the battle in the city. The problem was they hadn't expected the battle to come to them. Now they were right in the middle of it.

The pair were frozen in shock. The robot's hand had barely missed crushing them, and now the giant monster it was fighting was right above them.

"What the hell? Why isn't he fighting back?" Toji asked as the Eva started blocking the Angels energy whips.

"We are in the way!" Kensuke answered. "He can't fight back because of us!"

"And it's ALL, YOUR, FAULT!" the jock shouted, feeling like he was about to throttle his friend.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Misato! Let them inside the Eva!" Ginji said.

"What? You can't do that!" Ritsuko argued.

"They'll be safer in there than outside! Use the auxiliary batteries to distract the Angel while they get inside."

"You don't have the..."

"You heard the man, fire the auxiliary!" Misato shouted, cutting off the conversation. She pressed the intercom. "Shinji, listen to me!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Toji was seconds and inches away from choking Kensuke when the back of the Eva opened, and the entry tube popped out.

"You two get in there! Now!" a female voice boomed as the entry's hatch opened to allow them entrance.

The two boys, seeing no other option right now, quickly scrambled up the mecha and jumped into the entry plug.

"What the hell! Is this water?"  
"My camera! My camera!"

Their screams only intensified as the entry plug closed and they found themselves in the dark. Suddenly, the walls of the cramped room exploded with light and static until they could see outside. That was when they noticed the orangish liquid that was filling up around them.

"Oh, god, we're going to drown!" Kensuke whined.

"Don't worry. It's breathable." a calm voice said from the pilots seat.

"Huh?"

Both boys inches closer and saw the new comer from class.

"AH-HA! I knew it! I told you! Didn't I tell you! I told you!" Kensuke shouted triumphantly.

"SHUT! UP!" the jock growled as he slammed his fist into the geeks head.

"OW!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Getting some abnormal readings from the entry plug." Maya shouted.

"Of course! You let two foreign bodies into the Eva!" Ritsuko shouted.

"Shinji can handle it." Ginji said.

"You're putting a lot of faith in that boy." the blonde huffed.

"Why shouldn't I?" Ginji shouted. "We sent him out there, alone, to fight giant monsters while we're safe a mile beneath the Earth's surface!"

The screen showed that the Angel was advancing on Eva after shrugging off the missile barrage.

"Shinji, get out of there! Retreat!" Misato shouted into the intercom.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Hey Shinji, didn't you hear her? She said retreat!" shouted Toji as he put a hand in his shoulder.

The boy pilot was trembling, he seemed to be muttering something.

"Hey, new guy! What's wrong?" Kensuke asked as he leaned over the chair to look at him.

"I mustn't run away... I mustn't run away... I mustn't run away..." he repeated, clutching his pendant.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Ma'am!" Maya shouted.

"What's wrong Maya?" Ritsuko asked.

"Shinji's synch ratio! It's going up!"

"What is... it can't be. 92.9! That's impossible!"

Ginji looked at the screen and smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Eva's eye glowed brightly as Shinji pushed the controls forward and charged the Angel. He ejected the Prog. Knife out of his left pylon and threw himself at his enemy.

He deflected the Angels whips with his knife and threw Eva's whole body into the monster, throwing it backwards and landing it on it's back. Shinji hefted his knife in the air and brought it down into the red core of the Angel. He angled the knife and started cutting around it, then grabbed it with his empty hand and started pulling. He pushed the Eva to it's limits and pulled the core free just as his internal battery ran out.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"The Eva has de-activated." Maya informed all present. "Target has gone silent. Entry plug last readings indicate that the pilot and his 'passengers' are ok." she breathed a sigh of relief at all that.

"Thank god." Misato said with her own sigh of relief. "Alright, send a retrieval team to pick up the Eva. And I want those two punks from Shinji's school to be debriefed before I call their parents!"

"And what do we do about Shinji?"

Misato looked at Ginji sharply.

"Alright. I'll have him in solitary until you can talk to him." he said as he turned around and started to head out. "But keep in mind, Misato, he did win."

Misato's face was neutral as her husband left. She stared at the screen that showed the immobile Unit 01 and mentally agreed that he was right in that respect.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

After Shinji had gotten out of the hospital, he was escorted to a holding cell by Ginji. The older man said that it was because Misato was upset about him disobeying her orders. Shinji didn't complain about that.

"Oh, and Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Misato's duty to be tough with everyone. And even though she may not show it, she's as proud of you as I am."

That brought Shinji some comfort as the cell door closed in his face.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was hours later when Misato came by to talk to Shinji.

"Shinji Ikari. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Shinji stood up and looked at the older woman. "I'm sorry for disobeying your orders Misato."

"Well You Should Be! I mean... damn it, Shinji! You have to follow my orders when you're out in the field. You put the entire operation at risk as well as those two idiots who have already gotten chewed out by both NERV and their own parents for that little stunt! Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"

"Yes, Misato. But I had to."

"What?" she asked, still fuming.

"I said I had to."

"Had to? Had to what?"

"I had to stop that Angel. I couldn't be weak and run away. I had to stop it, or many more people would have been hurt or killed."

She looked at him, slightly shocked. "And that's more important to you than your own life?"

"Yes."

Misato was gasped. "What did you just say?"

"I said..."

"I know what you said! But why did you just say that?"

"Because it wouldn't be fair to Rei and the others..."

"That's Not What I Meant!" she shouted. "I meant... why are you willing to risk your own life?"

Shinji looked at her strangely. "Isn't that what I'm here for?"

Her face turned pale as he continued.

"Ginji said that this is a war, and in war people die. Everyone is counting on me to do my job, to pilot Eva to stop the Angels. It's... my purpose."

"Shinji... that's not..."

"That's why I'm here, isn't it, Misato? To pilot the Eva? To fight the Angels? To make sure mankind survives?"

Misato turned away, anger and sadness was not something she wanted Shinji to see right now. Even if he was right, Misato didn't want to hear this from him.

"I know you don't want me to pilot Misato. But it's my job. I'm the only one who can do it."

"That may be, but don't you have any consideration for yourself?"

Shinji looked down at the floor. "Not really."

"Well than maybe we don't need you here."

"What?"

"If you're this insecure about yourself then you'd just end up being a burden to us and maybe even getting us killed." she said, letting her emotions take over.

"What? Misato?"

"I'm sorry for asking so much of you. It's too much for a child to bear."

Shinji stares at her blankly, not believing a word of what he's hearing. After everything that he had been told by Ginji, he couldn't believe that it was Misato that was telling him this. Like someone had said, 'We're sorry for all this. Just forget about us and go home, cause it would be better'.

"Misato…?" he tries to call out to her, but she stops him.

"You'll be released in three days. I suggest you use that time to seriously consider your path in life. Goodbye…" Misato said as she looked back to him once more before looking away, wanting to avoid the kicked puppy-dog look in his eyes, and ensure that he didn't see the hurt in hers.

"Wait!" he yelled out, trying to catch her, only to have the door close on him. He placed his hand on the steel door, as if in some vain attempt to call or reach out to her.

"Shinji..." Misato whispered as she touched the door herself, unaware of Shinji's own hand on it. She slowly turned and let herself walk away, want to get as far away as possible, before she broke down in tears at her own selfish actions. _This is for the best… isn't it?_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was three days later and Misato had returned to the apartment.

"Shinji? Are you here?" she asked as she went to his room and found it to be empty. On the desk in his room sat the cellphone she had given him, and his NERV ID. His clothes and bag were gone. Even his SDAT was gone.

"He's gone." Ginji said from the hallway.

Misato looked at her husband. There was no coldness or anger in his eyes. Though he had every reason to be upset with her, since she was obviously the reason Shinji had left, he wasn't.

"I thought I was doing what was best for him." she said as Ginji pulled her into a hug.

"I know, Misa-chan. I know." he said as he held his crying wife in his arms.

He held her because he loved her, held her because he knew this would happened, held her because she needed it, more now than that time in collage.

"I'll find him, Misa-chan. I promise." he whispered to her.

"But how, Ginji? He didn't take his phone or anything. He just left. How are you going to find him?" she cried into his shoulder.

"Don't worry." he said as he pulled out a small device from his pocket. "Just leave it to me."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors notes:

Hope everyone liked this chapter. Sorry for the delay, I've been rather busy. The rest of my stories will be up as soon as I can get them finished. It's been a rather hectic few days around here.

The quote from Lord Naoshige about matters or great concern and such actually came from the movie 'Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai' in which the saying was actually a maxim scribed on one of his walls.

The Angel fight was rather short compared to Ginji and Shinji's interactions, which I wanted to emphasis. I also wanted to change the scene between Toji and Shinji getting into a fight because for one thing, that scene had been played up almost religiously in dozens and dozens of other fanfictions.

Also, I hope that the flashback scene in the beginning of this chapter starts to answer some questions you might have about how Shinji and Misato met, and how Shinji became Ginji. It's only a small taste and I promise I will elaborate on it later on in future chapters.

Please read and review.

(P.S. – I would prefer lengthy reviews, not just a few scant words)


	6. Gunfight at the 402

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

_Chapter 6 – Gunfight at the 402_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva. Eva owns me.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ginji Katsuragi poked the fire listlessly with the stick. He peered over the flames to the tent where the two boys slept. He grinned a little and let out a small sigh.

_Should have brought a magazine_. He thought as he continued to stare at the fire. And as he stared he recalled the conversation not 36 hours ago.

**_XXXXXXX _Flashback_ XXXXXXX_**

Katsuragi/Ikari Apartment...

"_You put a tracking device in Shinji's pendent?" Misato gasped. _

"_Of course." Ginji replied as he loaded one of his clips into his black Desert Eagle. "I figured if he ever got kidnapped, or ran away, he wouldn't leave his mother behind." _

_Misato grinned widely at her husband. "Whoa. You really thought this through, didn't you?" _

_Ginji smiled at his wife. "I'll keep him safe. Right now he needs time to get his head together. Sort out his feelings. Find his place in the world." he said as he threw his black trench coat on. _

"_His place is with us." _

"_I don't doubt. But we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to. We're not his..." _

"_Father?" _

"_Family." _

"_Yet." Misato said as she kissed him on the cheek. _

"_Yet." Ginji repeated as he kissed her back and headed out. _

**_XXXXXXX _End Flashback_ XXXXXXX_**

Ginji had been following Shinji all over Tokyo-3, which eventually ended him up on the outskirts and up into the forests overlooking the city. It was by sheer chance that he had come across one Kensuke Aida, who had started in with asking all kinds of questions.

Naturally, Shinji had one of his own.

"Why are you camping out here with all this military stuff?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, that. I've been in love with this stuff since I was little kid." Kensuke answered, gesturing to his khaki tent, military fatigues, basic army cooking utensils, and even a rifle. Fake of course. "But it's nothing compared to what you get to do."

Shinji turned his head down to the fire and saddened a little. "I'd quit if I could."

Kensuke looked at him as if he hadn't heard him right. "What? Do you have any idea what I'd give to be in your shoes?"

"You wouldn't say that if you knew the truth."

"Truth? What truth?"

"Kensuke, this is a war. People die in war. Or at least they will if I don't fight."

"You have no idea how lucky you are."

Shinji sighed. He couldn't reason with someone who turned a deaf ear to the reality of the situation.

From behind a nearby tree, Ginji crossed his arms and shook his head. _He definitely hasn't changed._

"I'm surprised you're out here. I thought your parents would have been upset with you about being outside the shelter." Shinji said.

"Oh, they were. After my hearing finally returned yesterday, they let me off my grounding and said I could, no, _should_, get out of the house for a few hours, so I decided to go camping."

Shinji nodded at that as Kensuke fixed him a small plate of his franks and beans.

"So, we went by your apartment yesterday." Kensuke said as he handed Shinji the plate.

"Huh? You did?" Shinji asked as he accepted it.

Ginji's head turned towards the conversation.

"Yeah. Me and Toji wondered where you'd been the last few days, so finally we got your address from the class rep and went to see what was up."

It would have probably interested both Shinji and Ginji to know that Kensuke had actually badgered Toji into accompanying him as a sort of buffer. He figured if Toji wasn't there he'd be unable to restrain himself, and his over-enthusiasm would definitely get him kicked out before he could have any of his questions answered.

"I wasn't there." Shinji said.

"Yeah, we know." but then his expression brightened. "But we did get to meet your guardian, that Ms Misato."

Shinji would have corrected him, calling her **Mrs** Misato, only he was cut off.

"It was like, only for a minute, but DAMN! How in the world did you get so lucky? You get to pilot a giant robot for a top secret organization, and you live with such an gorgeous woman! God, who wouldn't want to be you!"

Ginji grinned, amused and delighted that his wife could win such attention in just one brief meeting. He had to force himself to remember that this was also a problem in itself at times.

Eventually the boys took to bed. When Ginji was sure they were asleep, he emerged from behind the tree and sat in front of the fire, poking at it and waiting for Shinji to emerge.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was dawn when they appeared. The thick mist of the forest had descended upon the camp, giving the Section 2 agents the illusion that they were simply materializing out of thin air. There were five of them total, all dressed the same and each with the same sour expression.

Ginji slipped his sunglasses over his eyes as they approached.

"Sir. We're here to take the Third Child back to NERV." the lead agent said.

"You guys made the trip for nothing. I'll handle it." Ginji replied.

"Sir, our orders are from the Commander himself."

Ginji's lip turned up into a snarl at the mention of that man. "I said... I'll handle it."

"But, sir..." the agent persisted.

"Agent!" he said in a low growl as he quicky stood up and spun around to face the men. The quickness of his action made them all take an involuntary step back. "In case you're hard of hearing, let me repeat myself one more time: I. Will. Handle. It."

The agents froze. Their fear was, justified, as they knew his reputation and skills outmatched their own. If he wanted to get into it, they knew they wouldn't stand a chance. They looked at each other for a second before they all nodded in unison and slowly made their way back into the mist.

_Uniform Conformity._ Ginji mentally groaned. _Those guys were definitely not hired for their brains._

Suddenly he heard a rustling coming from inside the tent. He sat back down as the tent flap opened.

"Ginji?" Shinji gasped in surprise as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes to focus on the man in black.

"Good morning, Shinji." Ginji said as he poked at the last glowing embers of the dying fire. "So, have you reached a decision?"

Shinji pulled himself out fully from the tent and stood up, stretching all the tension out of his body.

"Yes." he said as he moved around the man to face him. "I want to go back to Tokyo-3."

Ginji smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"SHINJI-KUN!" Misato screamed loudly as she threw herself at the boy, practically knocking him down as she enveloped him in her arms. "Oh, god, I missed you so much, I was so worried, I'm so sorry I made you go, I didn't want you to go, really, I just thought I was doing it for you, and..."

"Misato!" Ginji shouted, cutting off his wife's ramblings.

She gave her husband a pouted look of annoyance. "Can't you see you just interrupted a very tender moment here?"

"Had to. You're suffocating the poor boy." he said, pointing to the struggling Shinji.

"Huh?" she looked confused as she glanced down and found the poor boy buried in her bosom and desperately trying to get away. "OH!" she cried as she quickly released him, the poor boy flying back landing on his butt and gasping for as much air as his lungs could inhale.

Ginji chuckled at this as he leaned over the boy and smiled. "I feel your pain, Shinji. I've been there myself. But look at it this way, if anybody asks, and I'm sure the boys in your class will, you can say with absolute certainty, that they are real."

"Oh, that's it!" Misato shouted as she leaped at the older man and tackled him to the ground.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Later than day, Misato, Ginji and Shinji were standing inside a giant field research lab where hundreds of people were working hard to study, analyze and collect data from the last battle site, as well as the now dead Angel itself. Some were even trying to take it apart for disposal.

Ritsuko was on the upper catwalk taking an overview of the Angel and jotting down notes as she felt necessary.

Misato was trying to get Ritsuko's attention, while Ginji and Shinji just stared at the dead monster before the.

"So, what do you think of the enemy up close, Shinji?" Ginji asked the younger boy as he reached out to touch it.

"I... it feels weird. I've never felt anything like this before." Shinji said, withdrawing his hand.

"Don't get used to that feeling, Shinji. We don't plan on you fighting these things without Eva."

Meanwhile, Dr Akagi finally noticed te trio on the ground as she wrote some more notes down on her clipboard. "Cut the core out without damaging it. Absolutely amazing." she mused. _Amazing that whole 'peach' trick actually worked_. She thought as she looked down to see the trio. "This is a perfect sample. Thank You." she shouted to the group. "This will help us a lot."

Misato, however, was a little annoyed at all the waiting. Ritsuko might get off on this stuff, but it bored her to tears. "So, did you find out anything useful?"

Ginji noticed that Ritsuko's face turned quite somber. "Yes. Follow me." she said, and lead them down to her field-office on the ground floor.

Once they were assembled in her office, she cued up the computer to her analysis findings.

"601?" muttered Misato reading her friend's computer, "What does that means?"

"That's the code for '_it cannot be analyzed'_."Ginji answered before Ritsuko could.

"Correct." the blond stated.

"In other words, you don't know…" Misato sighed.

"In short…yes," the doctor said. "But what we do know is that the Angel is composed of a matter characterized by both pattern and wave-form properties similar to solidified light."

"What about a power source? Were you able to find that?" asked the curious Misato

"We suspect it's inside the Angel's core, which Shinji was kind enough to remove, undamaged." she said, smiling at Shinji as if giving him proper recognition. Shinji bowed in said recognition. "We need to run extensive tests on it, but what we have discovered right now..." she said motioning her companions to look at her computer screen, "is the Angel's inherent wave pattern."

"Inherent Wave Pattern?" Ginji asked. "You mean..."

"Yes." Ritsuko replied.

"Really?" Asked Misato as she leaned forwards to get a better look at the screen. "Could it be…?"

"What is it?" Shinji asked.

"Misa-chan." Ginji laughed as he pulled his wife back from the computer to let Shinji get a good look at it.

However, what he saw was little more than dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds, of colored lines that he couldn't make heads or tails out of.

"What does this mean?" Shinji asked.

"Even though they're composed of a different matter, their actual genetic structure is 99.98 similar to that of a human being."

Shinji gasped at that. Ginji groaned under his breath. Misato was shocked. Both women started discussing the whole thing, until Ginji got tired of it and went over to get them some coffee.

"Regular with cream and two sugars." Ritsuko said.

Misato eyed her curiously.

"What? I can't try something different?" the blond asked her friend accusingly.

Ginji walked out of the office, but it was then that Shinji noticed something he hadn't before. He noticed Ginji's hands. Specifically, the lite scars on the inside of his palms.

"Hey Shinji, what's wrong?" asked Misato as she watched the boy staring at Ginji as he left.

"Uh.. Well, it's probably nothing..."

"Shinji, it's got to be something. Now out with it."

"Well, I just... Ginji looks like he burnt his hands. Where did he get them?"

"The burn marks? Oh, those are..."

"From the Unit 00 activation test." Ritsuko cut Misato off.

"Really? What happened?" Shinji asked.

**_XXXXXXX _Flashback_ XXXXXXX_**

"We've lost control of Unit 00!" Maya shouted as she tried to shut down the Eva as it started thrashing around in its cage, breaking free of it's restraints and started pounding on the wall of the observation booth where everyone, including Commander Ikari, stood.

"Activate the bakalite! Eject the entry plug!" Ritsuko shouted as the Eva's fist exploded the wall in, sending debris flying everywhere.

"Commander, look out!" Ginji shouted as he pushed the bearded glasses wearing man to the side, narrowly avoiding a large I-beam, large glass shards, and steel and stone, that would have gone right through the commanders chest had Ginji not acted. However, the forceful momentum caused Gendo to fall back a little too quickly, causing him to trip over one of the computer console chairs, fall backwards, and hit his head hard on the steel floor of the observation room.

No one noticed Ginji's smirk as a small trickle of blood appeared behind the unconscious mans head as he lay on the ground.

"Plug ejected!" Maya shouted as the plug practically exploded from the orange Cyclops that was Eva 00.

"Everyone stay here!" Ginji shouted as he took off running and leaped through the broken open observation window that Unit 00 had made, dropping just in time to avoid the flying fist of the Eva.

Those that could watch him, who weren't marred by Unit 00's continuous pounding on the hole, saw Ginji rebound off of Unit 00's chest and slide down the hardening bakalite to where the white entry plug had come to rest. Without hesitation, without gloves, Ginji gripped the superheated steel doors of the entry plug. Being stronger than Gendo he quickly and easily pulled it open. As a result he had received only mild burn marks on his hands, not lingering ones that Gendo would have had he gotten to the plug first. Unit 00 shut down as soon as he had the door open.

"Rei! REI! Are you alright?" Ginji shouted as he leaned inside the white tube to find the blue-haired girl in her white plugsuit open her eyes. She was bleeding and her right arm looked a little bent.

She stared at the older man for several seconds before nodding. "I am... unharmed."

Ginji smiled. "I'm glad you're alright, Rei. Come on, let's get you out of here." he said as he gently cradled her in his arms pulling her out of the entry plug and gently setting her down on the gurney that the medics wheeled in.

**_XXXXXXX _End Flashback_ XXXXXXX_**

"It was several days before you joined NERV, Shinji." Ritsuko explained. "Misato wasn't there that day, so she only heard about it later. From me."

"Ginji didn't tell her?" Shinji asked.

"Well, he's not a braggart."

"And needless to say, I was a little upset with him for pulling such a stunt." Misato fumed. "But after a few hours of vigorous sex, we..." she said happily before she was interrupted.

"MISATO!" Ritsuko shouted at her friend. "Shinji doesn't need to hear about your debauchery of a lifestyle!"

"Even if it's with my husband?" she grinned.

"It's alright, Dr Akagi." Shinji interrupted.

The blond looked at him in confusion. "It is?"

"I've kinda gotten used to it."

Ritsuko shot daggers at Misato. "What the hell are you doing in that apartment?"

"Well, you'll have to see for yourself when you come over for dinner tomorrow night." the purple haired woman giggled as Ginji returned with everyone's drink.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

PE class in Tokyo-3 High School. The Boys class were playing basketball, while the Girls class were taking turns swimming laps. This also made the guy on the sidelines turn towards the pool to watch the girls. Shinji found himself doing the same thing, only his attention was on a certain blue-haired girl who was sitting off to the side.

"Man, they've all got such incredible breasts…" muttered one of the boys that were also looking at the pool.

"The boys are looking at us!" they heard a girl cry out.

"Ooooh, gross! It's Suzuhara and Aida!" another chimed in.

Shinji could have sworn it was intentional that the girl raised her voice louder than normal.

"Hey, new kid!" Toji said, breaking Shinji out of his trance.

"Huh? Yeah?" Shinji asked, turning to the jock.

"What are you looking at so intently?" his friend asked in a teasing voice.

"Ha!" Kensuke joined in. "He was staring at Rei, am I right?"

"What?" Shinji yelped, blushing a bit.

"Oh, c'mon!" said Kensuke. "I'm not that stupid!"

_That's a matter of opinion_. "Or maybe..." Toji interrupted, "you were looking at Saori's boobs."

"Or Rina's thighs…"

"Or Yusuke's calves…"

"Or Seiko's Ass…"

"Or Hikari's feet!" Toji said excited, which got him a couple odd looks from everyone else. "What?"

"So…" Kensuke muttered, "What where you thinking about anyway?"

"Well..." Shinji started to say. "I was just wondering why Rei's always so alone."

"HUH?" the pair chorused. Obviously they hadn't been expecting that.

"Uh, come to think of it, I don't think she's ever had a real friend since she started here." Toji said as he leaned back from the in-your-face position he had held before.

"There's just something about her that makes her... kinda unapproachable." Kensuke said.

"YOU THREE!" The coach shouted. "Track! Now!"

The trio got up and started running.

"Don't you know anything about her?" Toji asked.

"Yeah, you guys are both Eva pilots, you should know her better than anyone." Kensuke said.

Shinji felt a little glum about that. "Yeah, but... we don't really talk much."

They said nothing for a while, until Kensuke noticed something. "Hey, Shinji, what's that around your neck?" he asked as he reached for the pendant.

Shinji's eyes flashed as his hand quickly went for his, intercepting it before he came within a couple inches of the object.

"Don't." Shinji said coldly.

"Ken, leave it alone! It's probably an old girlfriend of something." Toji said as he chuckled at his friend holding his sore wrist.

"It's my mother." Shinji said as he ran ahead of the two stunned boys.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Oh, god, what is this?" Ritsuko asked as she stared at the brown glob that Shinji served her.

"Just some nice tasty curry!" a slightly drunk Misato exclaimed happily.

"You're still eating this instant crap?"

"Hey, you're a guest so you shouldn't complain."

"That's a matter of opinion." Ginji chuckled as he downed another cup of juice.

"Misato…" said Shinji after finishing with Dr. Akagi's plate.

"Put it in here sweetie!" said Misato motioning to her instant soup cup.

"You sure?"

"You have _no_ idea how good this is!"

"And I doubt we ever will." Ginji muttered.

"If you say so…" Shinji muttered as he dumped a generous ration of curry on the recipient.

"Ok now let's eat!" cheered Misato as she started to devour her dinner.

The trio traded glances with each other before hesitantly putting a spoonful into their mouths. Both Shinji and Ritsuko's hand went to their mouths, trying to keep from spraying the table with it. Ginji on the other hand was more used to it so he swallowed and said nothing.

"You made this…stuff…didn't you Misato?" Ritsuko gasped as she went for her ice water.

"You can tell?" the purple-haired woman smiled widely as she chewed.

"By its taste…" _Who else could make instant food taste so bad?_

"Oh? Pretty unique isn't it?"

"Next time invite me over when it's Shinji or Ginji's turn to cook. I won't need to get my stomach pumped afterwards." Ritsuko said as she downed nearly the entire glass.

"At least you don't have to put up with this every week when she does cook." Shinji said as he drank down his whole glass as well.

"Et tu, Shinji?" Misato pouted as Ginji emerged from the kitchen with another pitcher of water.

"Thank you." Shinji and Ritsuko said in unison to the man.

"You know Shinji, if it wasn't for Ginji, I'd say you should move out." Ritsuko said. "Don't want to let one bad roommate ruin your whole life."

"It's not so bad." Shinji said as Misato stuck her tongue out at the blond.

"Yeah Ritz, never underestimate the human beings ability to adapt. Besides, if he did, he'd have to go through a lot of red tape and everything. He just got his new security card yesterday." Misato said.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ritsuko suddenly cried out as she dug through her purse. "Shinji, I need a favor."

"Huh?" he asked as the woman pulled a card out.

"Could you deliver Rei's new security card to her? I keep forgetting to give it to her."

"Uh, sure." Shinji said as he took the card and examined it.

Unfortunately, his lingering gaze caught the attention of the other three adults in the room.

"So, Shinji, is there a particular reason you're staring so closely at Rei's picture?" Ginji asked with a chuckle, not actually looking at the boy

"W-what?" he stammered. "I'm not!"

"Oh, yes you were." Misato grinned slyly. "And now you've got the perfect excuse to go over to Rei's place!" she giggled.

"Stop teasing me!" the slightly annoyed and very embarrassed Third Child groaned.

"But you're so much fun to tease. You go so ballistic!"

"Just like Misato." Ginji and Ritsuko said in unison.

"Wha…?" the woman gasped as the pair broke into laughter.

"It's just..." Shinji interrupted. "I don't know much about her, even though we're both Eva pilots."

"Rei is a nice girl…" said Ritsuko, "but she's like your father…"

"How so?" Shinji asked, barely noticing the scowl on Ginji's face.

"She's not very adept at living, I guess."

"Well having her living alone in that crummy building doesn't help much." Ginji said.

"Maybe you could show him where she lives." Ritsuko suggested.

Ginji nodded. "Sure, I can take you tomorrow to show you where it is, Shinji."

"Thank you." he nodded.

"Don't mention it. Wouldn't want you walking about in a cloud the whole time."

"That reminds me." Ritsuko asked as she looked at Ginji. "Shinji's battle with the Fourth Angel."

"What about it, Ritsuko?" the man asked as he tried to down another spoonful of curry.

"When his gunfire covered the Angel in smoke, you told him to move right before its energy whips shot out and nearly had him. How did you know the Angel was going to attack?"

Ginji looked at her in confusion for a few seconds. "You're kidding right?"

Ritsuko cocked an eyebrow at him, indicating she wasn't.

"It wasn't obvious?" Ginji asked. When he didn't receive an immediate answer, he said, "If you can't see your enemy, don't be where he thinks you're going to be. It makes you a target."

Ritsuko gave him a sour look, as if unsure about his logic in that sense.

"But still, how did you know the Angel was going to attack?"

Ginji sighed. "Because Shinji didn't neutralize the AT-Field before he fired, which meant there was a good chance the Angel was still alive. And if it was still alive, there was a good chance it would have counter-attacked when Shinji stopped firing."

"All common sense and basic strategy." Misato added with slightly slurred speech.

Ritsuko and Misato then got into an argument over common sense vs. scientific logic while the other room occupants noticed Pen-Pen waddling around the room like he was sick.

"Misato's cooking?" Shinji asked as he watched the penguin head to the hallway.

"Misato's cooking." Ginji confirmed as he watched the penguin throw up into Ritsuko's shoes.

Shinji looked at Ginji.

"I got it last time." Ginji said.

Shinji sighed as he got up and went for the cleaning implements.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ginji dropped Shinji off in front of the large and rundown building that he assured the boy was where Rei Ayanami lived.

"Fourth floor. Apartment 402." Ginji said as Shinji got out of the black sports car. "And Shinji!"

"Yeah?" the boy said as he closed the door and stared through the open window.

"Remember, Rei's not very adapt at dealing closely with other people, so if she comes off as... anti-social or cold, it's not intentional."

"Right." the boy said as he left to go up to deliver the card.

Ginji let out a sigh, wondering if he should have warned Shinji about anything else that could have happened.

_Well, can't coddle the kid forever. He's got to learn to deal with this sooner or later_. He thought after several minutes and then looked over to see a black car sitting opposite the building itself. Something felt a little off and he grabbed his binoculars from the glove box and focused on the car. His blood ran cold as he felt his heart drop.

"SHIT!" he shouted as he bolted from the car.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji stared at the bleak hallway as he arrived at the door to apartment 402. The button was broken and the mail slot was crammed full of what looked like junk mail.

_Its like Misato's apartment when I first arrived_. He thought as he knocked on the door. It opened up with the slightest touch. _She doesn't keep it locked?_

Curiosity got the better of him and he stepped into the apartment and gasped.

The walls were barely painted and cracking, bloody bandages where scattered across the floor with trash conveniently everywhere except for in the trash bin. The small kitchen looked like it hadn't been used or dusted in years and yet the sink was still piled high with chipped and dirty dishes. The bed was crumpled and looked oddly damp, with the bedspread tossed around and badly unkempt.

Shinji stepped through the dirty apartment carefully, wondering what kind of person would want to live like this.

He paused as he noticed something on the table next to the bed. He moved towards it and picked up the pair of sunglasses, which somehow reminded him of Ginji's own pair. "I didn't know Rei wore sunglasses." Shinji mused. He then realized that there was almost nothing he knew about the girl. He suddenly froze as he heard something behind him. He turned around to see the very person he'd been looking for, Rei Ayanami, naked as the day she was born and wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"I...uh... this... I'm..." he fumbled with the words as the shapely girl advanced towards him. Shinji backed up and tripped over the bandages as Rei snatched the sunglasses from him. However, that only caused Shinji to tilt from her. Off balanced, he tried to grab onto something, anything, to steady himself, and inadvertently poked his butt into the sharp corner of the table. The sudden jolt of pain caused him to lurch forward, knocking Rei over as the pair tumbled to the ground.

Shinji froze as he found himself staring into a pair of unblinking red eyes. His mind suddenly came back on line and he realized that he was on the floor, looming over an attractive yet naked girl. His right hand was on the floor under her arm, which he felt was very hard, yet his left hand felt like it had landed on something softer.

Before he could say anything, or even look, a new voice wafted through the air.

"Well, well, well." the voice said. "Isn't this cozy."

Shinji turned to see five men in black suits with masks over their faces, all armed with various weapons of the automatic and semi-automatic variety.

Shinji then heard Rei speak.

"Would you get off me?" she said.

It was then that Shinji noticed that his left hand had accidentally landed on Rei's right breast. It was pushing down on it, actually.

"AAAHHH!" he shouted as he bolted off the girl as three of the men entered the room and surrounded them.

"Jeez, kid, you just get right to it, don't you!" one of the men laughed.

Rei stood up and moved to Shinji's side, not even attempting to cover herself as the men aimed their weapons at them both.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is a kidnapping. You two are coming with us." one of the men said.

"Wait. Our instructions were just to take the girl." another man said.

"Bonus." the first man said, poking him gun into Shinji's chest. "Besides, maybe we could use him as a hostage if nothing else. He might even worth something himself."

Suddenly, all hell broke loose.

"SHINJI! REI!" Ginji shouted as he reached the fourth floor and found two black-garbed men standing outside Apartment 402. With automatic guns.

"Who the hell..." one of the men asked.

"Who cares! Kill..." the second man said, but didn't get a chance to finish as Ginji had already drawn his own guns and was firing.

The deafening explosion of his modified Desert Eagles echoed heavily through the narrow hallways of the condemned building, catching both men in the chest and knocking them back.

"What the..." one of the men inside the apartment gasped in shock and ran to the door.

Shinji saw his chance, spun around and grabbed Rei, pulling her into the only available safe corner of the apartment. He covered her body with his as the other two men suddenly noticed him move.

"What's going on?" the first kidnapper asked as he heard his friend at the door fire off his entire clip down the hallway. He turned back as the third man kept firing, only to get hit with three bullets in the chest and head that sent him down.

"It's an ambush!" the second man shouted.

"There must have been more guards than we thought!"

"What, were they out getting coffee? Get the girl!"

"Screw her! We gotta get outta here!"

"Fine!" the second man leveled his gun at Rei and Shinji, ready to terminate them both.

"No!" Shinji shouted as he threw himself over Rei like a shield.

With such an unobstructed view, the kidnapper couldn't have missed. However, bullet fire erupted into the apartment and clipped the last two men. The man who was about to kill the children was clipped first, causing his aim to falter.

The bad news: he was able to get off a shot. The good news: the bullet only slid across Shinji's arm.

"ARGH!" the boy gasped as the bullet tore into his skin and became lodged in the wall next to him and Rei.

Rei's eyes widened at what had happened as she saw Shinji's right hand move to clutch his left arm.

Ginji stepped into the room and quickly went to Shinji's side.

"Shinji! Are you alright?" he asked.

"I got hit." he said weakly.

"Let me see." he said, setting his guns down on the floor as he slowly pried the boys hand away from his bleeding wound. He stared at it intently for a few seconds, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god. It's only a graze. Bullet just tore the skin." he said, then noticed the bullet that was lodged in the wall next to Rei's head. "Rei, are you alright?"

"I am not harmed." the girl replied.

"I'm glad." he smiled. He turned back to Shinji. "Shinji, tell me what happened."

"The men tried to shoot Rei. I tried to protect her and..."

"Got shot for it." Ginji finished. "Using your own body like a shield. I'm impressed, Shinji." he said as he patted his back gently. "Come on, let's get you off the floor. Both of you."

Suddenly, Ginji's ears detected more footsteps heading towards them.

"You have got to be kidding me." he growled as he pulled off his trench coat and wrapped it around Rei's nude body.

Ginji went to the door and peered out, quickly pulling back in as a spray of bullets took his place in the door frame.

"Damn it! Reinforcements!" he huffed. "Shinji!"

"Yes?"

"Get Rei to out of here, I'll cover you and draw their fire. Get her to the car, get in and stay there. The keys are in my coat pocket."

"Right." Shinji acknowledged.

"But you are injured." Rei stated to the boy.

"I'll be fine." Shinji said as he grabbed Rei's hand and lead her to the door.

"On my signal." Ginji said as he gripped his guns.

Shinji and Rei nodded.

"GO!" he shouted as he leaped out into the hallway and opened fire on the other three men who had come to join their partners.

Shinji and Rei immediately ducked behind him and ran the opposite way, down the hallway and down the concrete stairs all the way down to the street, making a beeline for Steel Wind.

Ginji continued to fire at the men, nailing one of them and tearing chucks of concrete out of the walls before he ran out of ammo. He pulled back into the doorway of Rei's apartment and ejected his clips, quickly reloading them with the spares on his belt. He was sure that the pair hadn't seen Shinji and Rei's escape. He was about to go back into the hallway, until he saw a round object land in front of the door.

"Oh, hell!" he gasped as he ducked back into the apartment seconds before the grenade went off.

The explosion nearly shattered his eardrums, but Ginji landed hard on the bed as it did. The two men outside flanked around the door and readied themselves to go in. One of the men had a full auto machine pistol, the other had a rocket launcher.

"A little much, isn't it?" the man with the machine gun asked glaring at the launcher.

"After what this guy did to our boys?" the man with the launcher asked.

The other man shrugged as he sucked in his breath and spun around into the apartment. However, the second he did, Ginji slammed hard into him, knocking him backwards and over the railing of the building. But the man didn't stop there. Bulldozing his way through the man, Ginji gripped the handle on one of his Desert Eagles and leaped over the railings of the 4th Floor, twisting around in mid-air and firing off a single shot towards the man with the rocket launcher. The bullet struck him dead center between the eyes, causing him to fall backwards. But as he fell backwards, his finger pulled back on the launchers trigger and caused the rocket to fire into Rei's apartment. It struck the middle support beam which ran through the entire length of the building.

Ginji fell a full story before he threw out his belt that had been wrapped around his waist before he charged the men at the door. He belt buckle found a jagged piece of broken wall to latch onto and swung the man down to the second story hallway. He landed hard in the hallway before getting back up and retrieving his belt.

"Cannot believe that worked." he muttered as he replaced his belt back through the pant loops before he noticed the entire building was rumbling. It took him a couple seconds to figure out what had happened. "Oh, no." he groaned as he raced down the stairs until he came to the street level of the building and raced out just as the support beam gave way and caused the upper half of the complex to drop hard onto the lower half. The sudden drop in weight caused the entire building to practically implode and come crashing down with a tremendous explosion and shockwave that could be felt for blocks around.

The second the entire building came down, Ginji had reached Steel Wind and leaped over the engine to land on the other side as the dust and debris enveloped the car in a cloud so thick you couldn't see past your own nose.

As soon as the dust had settled, Ginji stood up and looked at the demolished building.

"Oooooh man!" the older man stared at the damage. "I don't think anyone's going to believe this."

Shinji rolled down the car window and poked his head out.

"I saw it and I still don't believe it." the boy said as Rei leaned out the other rolled down window to stare at her once home. _I don't think Misato will either._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"I don't believe this." Misato gasped as Ginji finished explaining what had happened. "You just went over there to drop off Rei's security card, not drop the building on its side."

"You think that was my intention?" Ginji asked as he tossed his dusted up clothing in the hamper. "I'm not the one brought the place down with a rocket launcher. A _rocket launcher_, Misato! I mean who sends eight men, armed to the teeth with fully automatic weapons, grenades and a rocket to kidnap one girl?"

"You think Rei's kidnapping was a ploy of some kind?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. What I do know is that they knew where Rei lived, and you don't bring a launcher like that to a kidnapping. If she was in an armored car I could have understood it, but..."

"So, what now?"

"Rei will be staying with us now."

"Why not the Geofront?"

"Because I don't feel like suffocating the girl in that place." Ginji said as he stepped into the bathroom and started the shower. _And I'm not sure it's that safe from human invasion_. "Besides, after this failed attempt, I'm willing to bet that there won't be any future attempts."

"Well, at least she'll be safe with you."

"Thank you. But right now, she's going to need your help."

"Me? Why?"

"She needs some new clothes."

"Clothes? Wait, what's she wearing under your coat?"

"Her birthday suit." he smirked as he stepped into the shower and closed the curtain.

"Great. Send me shopping with a girl who has no interest in fashion." Misato grumbled as she went back into the living room where Shinji and Rei waited patiently.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Pilot Ikari." Rei said as she sat on the couch helping Shinji wrap his arm.

"Yes, Ayanami?" he asked, looking up to meet her eyes. _Pretty eyes_, he thought.

"I wish to thank you."

"For what?"

"You received this injury protecting me. For that I thank you." she said, tying off the wrappings gently but snugly.

"It was nothing."

"I disagree. You could have been killed protecting me. Again, thank you."

Shinji smiled. "You're welcome."

"Let's go you two!" Misato cried as she entered the living room.

"Go? What for?" Shinji asked.

"Well, Rei's going to need a few things, like clothes and underwear, and I'm pretty sure Ginji would like his coat back."

Shinji blushed a little as he realized that Rei was still wearing the black trench coat Ginji had given her, and was still naked underneath it.

_And this will be a good chance for you two to get to know each other._ Misato mentally added.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Report." Gendo ordered.

"Mission failed. The entire group was killed and the building itself was demolished." Fuyutsuki reported back to the Commander.

"Who do we have to thank for this?" he asked, clutching his machine gun barrel tightly.

"Ginji. He's taken Rei to live at his apartment with himself, Misato and Shinji." Ritsuko stated.

"DAMN IT!" the man shouted as he tossed his automatic weapon across the room, kicked the chair against the nearest wall and then began beating his fists on the desk. "Damn It, Damn It, Damn It!"

Sub-Commander Kouzou Fuyutsuki and Dr Ritsuko Akagi just watched as Gendo Ikari, the 'most feared man in the world', threw a temper tantrum.

Only the three of them were aware of Gendo's plan to have a group of mercs kidnap Rei and hold her hostage until Gendo himself, leading a team of Section 2 agents, burst into their hideout to rescue her. His ultimate aim was that by doing this, Rei would realize that she could only depend on him as she had before Ginji arrived.

But now, after having heard the reason that Ginji had been at Rei's apartment, could not blame anything but bad luck and coincidence. Ginji had foiled his plans, once again thwarted his will, saving Rei as she was about to be kidnapped and held hostage until he could rescue her.

And now he was moving Rei in with him in order to better protect her. It was just too much.

Gendo froze for a second and turned to the pair.

"Leave!" he said in a low growl.

Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko didn't need any more incentive as they turned and left. They were outside the large double doors to his office before they heard loud screaming, cursing and whatnot coming from the other side. The sub-commander went back to his office, and Ritsuko to hers.

When she got there, she closed the door and started laughing.

_Oh, god, oh god! I've never seen that prick so furious!_ She thought with a huge giggly smirk. _And he'll never figure out I sent Ginji there on purpose to screw with his plan. Oh god, it's just priceless!_

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Author's Notes:

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I tried to make it as unique as possible, taking into consideration Ginji's influence in the story and everything.

The scene between Kensuke and Shinji was done on purpose, because the geek just seems totally engrossed in the glory and romanticism of war that he has no idea of what war is really about. Like most military otaku he has no actual experience in warfare. If he did he wouldn't be an otaku.

I had originally intended to make this a tie-in with the Fifth Angel battle, but as I continued writing it, the whole thing just got too long and started to seem rather... well it just seemed a little unnecessary to have Rei and Shinji fight the 5th after Rei's rescue.

I didn't want to overdo the story.

Also, I hope everyone enjoyed the fact that I'm seriously picking on Gendo in this, giving him not only a bloody crack to the noggin but also making him totally loose his cool. I had Ginji save him because I'm not finished messing with him.

Anyone who knows my writings will see this as a developing pattern.

The manipulations by Ritsuko was purposely done in a subtle way so that even Gendo wouldn't have suspected her of screwing with his plans. I mean, Gendo may be a schemer, but Ritsuko is smarter than him in a lot of ways.

I chose the Desert Eagles as Ginji's weapons because they are some of the most powerful handguns in existence right now, but mostly I got the idea to use them after watching **Burst Angel**. I also hope that the whole scene with Ginji killing the kidnappers, the rocket launcher bringing down the entire building, and Ginji's escape was both enjoyable and acceptable. I admit I was having some trouble with just having him leap off the fourth floor landing and dropping to street level. But then I thought, 'this guy isn't supposed to be _Captain America_ from **Ultimate Avengers**. He should be more like _Frank Martin_ from **The Transporter**. (1 and 2) Super tough but totally human, to a degree.'

I also hope no one minds, but in the original series, Rei and Shinji met at her apartment and then left for Rei's activation test with Unit 00 right before the 5th Angel attacked. I decided to put the 5th Angel off until a little later, have more fun with the story then.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this. Chapter 7 coming soon, where Shinji and Rei battle the 5th Angel.

Please read and (extensively) review. I like reading those.


	7. Eva vs The Fifth

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

**Chapter 7 – Eva Versus The Fifth**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.

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"Is this one appropriate?" Rei asked as she stepped out of the dressing room, wearing a blue sundress with small straps over her bare shoulders, the skirt fluttering around her slim upper thighs.

Shinji blushed at the beautiful young woman before him.

"Well, Shinji seems to approve, so I guess it's a keeper." Misato grinned as she waved her hand in front of the stoic boys face.

"Understood, captain." Rei said as she went back into the dressing room and closed the curtain.

Shinji snapped out of his trance as he looked over at the other clothes they had chosen for Rei. Or to be more precise, the clothes that she tried on and left Shinji speechless.

There was a white tank top with a pair of cut-offs. Two pairs of school uniforms which included white shirts, blue skirts with suspenders, and a red bow. 12 sets of white panties and bras. One white bathing suit and a blue two-piece bikini that had nearly given the boy a nosebleed. A purple evening dress and a little black dress for special functions. A pink kimono with blue flowers on it that Shinji really seemed to like. Two extra-large shirts for sleeping in. (They couldn't find pajamas at this store. It's not Wal-Mart) And the sundress was the latest. (Shoes and socks naturally included)

All in all, Rei had tried on several of these outfits and didn't particularly care about what they looked like as long as they were comfortable and functional. Fashion had never been her strong suite, but she was rapidly changing her opinion. Especially given how Shinji was reacting to her.

For some reason, she blushed at that notion as she changed into another outfit.

Meanwhile, outside the dressing room...

"Are you sure we can afford this?" Shinji asked as he fondled his pendant.

"Don't worry, Shinji-kun. We'll just charge everything to NERV." Misato smiled.

_Why do I not feel good about that?_ He thought.

"Did I miss anything?" a new voice said as the pair turned around to face the owner.

"Ginji!" Misato cheered as she leaped at the freshly showered man.

"Do you have to do that every time I'm around?" the man gasped as he caught his wife.

"You never objected before." she mock pouted.

He kissed her on the nose. "Children weren't present before."

Misato turned around and noticed Shinji looking away and smirking while Rei had opened the curtain and was now wearing a pair of bell-bottom jeans and a small white and blue stripped shirt.

"Those look good on you Rei." Ginji smiled.

"Thank you, captain." Rei said. "I believe I will get these as well."

Shinji helped Rei carry her purchases to the checkout counter while Misato and Ginji trailed behind.

"How did you find us?" Misato asked, her husbands arm around her waist.

"How do you think?" he grinned, nodding his head in the direction of Shinji.

"Right." she said, acknowledging the tracer in his pendant.

"Did you need anything before we leave?" he asked his wife.

"Hmm." she pondered with a mischievous grin.

_Uh-oh. _

"I did see these lovely black silk negligee's in the women's section. Of course I did see these very nice aprons in the kitchen area." she said thoughtfully.

"Aprons? You're going to cook?" he asked in mild shock.

"Who said anything about cook? I was just going to wear the apron... and nothing else." she purred into his ear.

If Ginji wasn't so used to his wife's wild-side, he would have nosebleed all over the store.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Thank you for helping to carry my purchases Shinji-kun." Rei said as she stepped into her room.

"It wasn't a problem, Rei-san." Shinji replied as he set the packages down on her bed.

Shinji went to the kitchen while Rei changed into her new clothes and came out wearing her tank top and cut-offs. Misato emerged from her bedroom wearing the same, and stood beside Rei.

Ginji and Shinji stared at the pair. They looked like big and little sister.

"Come on, Rei. Strike a pose!" Misato laughed as she struck a provocative pose for the two men.

Rei, unsure how to 'pose', decided to simply copy Misato's actions.

Ginji turned to Shinji.

"I've got the big one, you take the smaller one."

Shinji blushed at that suggestion as the other pair laughed. Actually, Rei just gave a lite smile.

The quartet eventually sat down to dinner, Shinji cooked of course.

"You don't eat meat, right Rei?" Shinji asked as Rei stood next to him as he chopped vegetables.

"Yes. How did you know?" she asked, knowing that she hadn't told him anything about herself.

"Ginji told me."

"Oh." she nodded in understanding.

Rei looked around the kitchen and noticed PenPen walk up to her, stare at Rei for about five minutes, both unblinking, and then walk into his refrigerator.

"Shinji-kun?"

"Yeah Rei?"

"Captain Katsuragi's penguin lives in a refrigerator."

"Yeah."

"Would he not suffocate?"

Shinji looked stunned. He hadn't considered that before.

"Uh, I think he's got a ventilation system installed." he stated.

"I see."

_At least I hope he does._

At the table Ginji and Misato noticed the little scene between the pair.

"Awww. Our little boy's growing up." Misato giggled as she locked her arms around his arm.

"And he obviously didn't get that from you." Ginji joked.

"Why you!" she growled as she put her husband into a headlock. "And to think I thought you were so nice when we first met!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

**XXXXXXXX **FLASHBACK** XXXXXXXX**

(Antarctica, 2000...)

Shinji sat on the bed, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders.

_How did I get here?_ He thought as he looked at the medical bay he had woke up in. _Third Impact was averted. I stopped it... didn't I? But where am I, and why am I here?_

MIND FLASH!

_**Shinji Ikari. You have been chosen to avert entirety. **_

_Entirety?_

_**The events of your world cannot be changed. What has been done cannot be undone. **_

_So... all my friends, Misato, Rei, Asuka... are gone? _

_**Their time will come. But another world needs you now. **_

_Another world?_

_**You have averted Third Impact in your world. In time it will heal. But another reality faces the same crisis. **_

_But... do I have the right to intervene?_

**_You know what will happen. You have lived the experience. You are the only one who can avert the same tragedy that has befallen your world._** **_But it will require a great sacrifice._**

_I want to help, but I... I don't know if I can... I wasn't strong enough to save my world. How can I save another one?_

_**You must be strong, my child. Gendo hindered your life. You were not to blame. **_

_But what can I do? How can I help? Where do I start?_

_**Well, to start with, you might want to change your name.**_

_My name?_

_**Yes. 'Shinji Ikari' is your name, so you must never forget it. But there cannot be two of you at once.**_

_Two at once? So... this other world... is like mine?_

_**Yes. But with a difference in time. **_

_I don't understand. This other world... it will be like my world? A difference in time? How still don't understand how I can change the outcome even if I relive everything from my first battle to Third Impact._

_**Who said anything about reliving your first battle? **_

END MIND FLASH!

_I was sent back... no... this is different. A different world. Like mine but..._ "OWW! My head hurts." he said as he held his forehead. Thinking too much on things he didn't understand and had never really considered, not that he did it often, always made his head hurt.

(AN: I know it's redundant, just go with me here)

"Need some aspirin?" a voice brought him back to the present.

"Huh?" Shinji looked up and noticed the same girl from before, carrying a cup of water and a bottle of aspirin. _Why did I think she had blue eyes?_ He wondered as he finally recognized the girl. _It's... it's..._ "Misato."

Her eyes went wide. "You... you know my name?"

_Oh god. I just called her by her name and she didn't tell me. She's never met me before now_. "I... I just..." _Think fast, Shinji, think... wait a minute, she told me her name!_ "You told me your name earlier when I woke up."

"Oh. That's right. Sorry." she smiled a goofy grin.

_Ooookay. _

She sat down on the bed next to him and handed him the water and aspirin.

"So, you're name is Shinji Ikari, huh?" she asked as he down the aspirin.

"Yes."

"Any relation to that creepy Gendo Ikari?"

COUGH, COUGH!

"Are you alright?" Misato gasped as she leaped up and slapped his back.

"Uh... uh, yeah.. I'm fine." he wheezed, his throat clearing.

Just then, two men stepped into the room. One was an older man with a heavy set build and the other one was slightly younger man with a gruff beard and hard look.

"Excuse me, Misato." the older heavier set man said to the girl. "But we need to talk to the young man."

"Yes, fath..." but she stopped when she felt Shinji grab her hand. She turned to him and saw a flash of fear in his eyes. She followed his gaze to the bearded man. _Yeah, I kinda felt the same way_. "Uh, I think I'll stay here with Shinji."

The man looked at the way the boy was holding his daughters hand, noting the fear in his eyes as they were directed at Gendo. _Guess I can't blame the kid, really. Then again..._ "Very well dear."

The pair sat down in a pair of chairs that were against the wall and sat them in front of the bed.

"We're here to ask you a couple questions." Dr Katsuragi said.

"Who are you? Where do you come from? How did you get here? Why were you wandering alone in the snow without any winter clothing? Is your name really Ikari?" Gendo fired off questions.

Dr Katsuragi looked at the man and scowled.

"Perhaps I'd better handle this, Gendo."

Shinji tensed, and Misato could feel it.

"My name is Dr Hiroshi Katsuragi. I'm the head of this expedition. We'd like to know who you are and what you are doing here." Dr Katsuragi said. "But first, do you know where we are?"

"Antarctica." Shinji replied.

"And why are you here?"

'_To save the world'. Yeah right, can't say that. I'd better play dumb_. "I... I don't know..." he said, looking down at the floor.

"I find it difficult to believe you just appeared out of nowhere and wearing nothing capable of protecting you from the Arctic cold." Gendo stated.

"I... don't really... remember much..."

"Hmm. It's possible you suffered some mental degradation due to the arctic exposure." Katsuragi said.

Gendo looked at him, and before he could say anything, Dr Katsuragi pulled the man into the hall.

"We'll be back in a minute." Dr Katsuragi said as the pair left the teenagers alone.

Shinji watched them go. For some reason he thought they were talking about him.

Outside...

"What's wrong with you Katsuragi? You buy his story?" Gendo asked in a dark tone.

"The boy is still recovering from extreme exposure to hypothermia. He's not thinking clearly. It's possible he could be delusional."

"And the name he called himself when he woke up?"

"Stop being so paranoid, Gendo. Is that what you're really upset about? Just because he calls himself 'Ikari' doesn't mean that's his name."

"You're saying he made it up?" he scoffed in disbelief.

"It's possible."

"It's ludicrous! Our operation is at risk because of him."

"Now _you're_ being ludicrous. He's a boy no older than my daughter."

"Who appeared out of nowhere, wearing an outfit we've never seen before, and calling himself..."

"That's what you're so upset about?"

"It's suspicious, Katsuragi."

"It's nothing to worry about. If he's possibly delusional, still recovering from the hypothermia, and can't remember anything right now, we don't have much to worry about."

"I'll hold you to that, Katsuragi." Gendo scowled as he walked away.

Back inside the med bay...

"Are you alright?" Misato asked the boy, noticing that he kept looking at her while holding her hand.

"Uh... I'm fine." he said, blushing a bit.

"Why are you blushing?" she asked, more curious than flattered.

"I... uh, you're very pretty." he said, blushing again.

It was Misato's turn to blush, a small gasp escaped her lips.

Dr Katsuragi walked back into the room to find both children still sitting on the bed. The boy still holding his daughters hand tightly. Both seemed to be blushing. He saw the pair turn their attention towards him, apparent fear still in the boys eyes.

"It's alright, son." the man said, attempting to calm the boy. "We've talked it over and we'll try to figure out who you are and how you got here, but later. Misato, I'd like you to look after the boy." _At least now she'll have someone her own age to play with._

"Yes, father." the girl smiled. _At least now I'll have someone here who's my own age. _"Come on, Shinji, I'll show you around." she said, dragging him out of the med bay by his hand.

Dr Katsuragi just smiled. This was first time he had seen his daughter smile in months.

**XXXXXXXX** END FLASHBACK **XXXXXXXX**

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Shinji and Rei watched Ginji and Misato wrestle with each other, until the man managed to twirl the woman around, ending up with her in his lap.

"I will never forgive you!" Misato screamed as she tried to hit him.

He blocked all of her punches and pinned her arms at her sides, looking into her brown eyes. His mood had calmed and he stared at her with total seriousness.

"You're so beautiful." he whispered, an inch close to her face.

The woman blushed as her thrashing stopped. How he could say that to her face, with her fighting him, and say it so sincerely, was just amazing.

"Alright, I forgive you." she said as his lips pressed against her own.

And it worked every time.

Shinji sweat dropped at how easy that seemed to him.

"They look very... happy." Rei suddenly said.

"Yeah. They do." Shinji replied as he went back to his cooking.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The rest of the night the group ate in both comfort and laughter until it was time to turn in.

"Good night you two!" Misato called, dragging Ginji back into their bedroom. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

That naturally sent Shinji blushing up a storm.

"Shinji-kun?"

"Uh.. Yeah Rei?"

"What did Captain Katsuragi mean by that?"

"Uh..." he tried to reply, blushing even more.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked, moving towards him and placing her hand on his forehead. He continued to blush at her touch. "You do feel warm. Perhaps you are coming down with a fever."

_Oh, it's not a fever_. He thought as he nearly passed out from the overheating.

"Perhaps we should get you into bed." Rei said as she pulled the boy into his room.

"Uh, Rei?"

"It would not do for an Eva pilot to become ill."

And with no further protest, Shinji was made to get into his bed while Rei watched over him.

Ginji, who was watching the pair, just smiled, until a pair of slim arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him back into his room, closing and locking the door.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was the next day, after school and both Shinji and Rei were heading towards the NERV access elevators. Rei was stopped when she swiped her card through the reader and…

Access denied!

She looked at her card and tried again, getting the same result. She was about to try again when Shinji beat her to it.

"Here. You new card. I meant to give it to you at your apartment yesterday, before..." he said, but stopped as his arm slightly twitched as he extended the card to her.

"Thank you." Rei said as she accepted the card and slid it through the reader.

"You're welcome." Shinji said as he followed the girl into NERV.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Uh, Rei?" Shinji said as they descended the escalators.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say... sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"Uh... well for... falling on you yesterday, and, uh..." he blushed again and decided to change the subject. "Aren't you nervous?"

"About what?"

"Your reactivation test today with Unit 00." he said, remembering that Ginji told him about it at breakfast before they left for school. "Aren't you nervous?" he asked again.

"I am not." she calmly replied.

"Well... can I be worried for you?"

She turned and looked at him strangely.

(AN: Okay, I know Rei doesn't look at anyone 'strangely', but you get the point)

"You do not have faith in your fathers work?" she asked the young man.

"The Eva's are not my father's work. They're my mothers." Shinji replied touching his pendant.

"I see. I am not worried, therefore, you should not be."

"Well... I should be. I mean... that's what friends are for, right? They worry about each other."

She looked at him again. "We are... friends?"

"Well, yes. I mean... we're both Eva pilots. We go to school together. We're living together now. Why shouldn't we be friends?"

Rei turned away and seemed to ponder that thought. _Friends_. She thought, realizing that everything he had said was true._ I have never had a... yes, I believe I would benefit from such a thing. Ginji said I would and he would not deceive me._

"So.. How do you know... my father?" Shinji asked hesitantly.

"Commander Ikari raised me." she answered, not seeing the relevance of such a question.

"And Ginji saved your life."

"Yes. I have faith in them both."

"I don't understand how you could have faith in my father."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... the man abandoned me when I was four years old. Just left me and never looked back. He wasn't there for me when I needed him. To be honest... I don't really trust him."

Rei would have answered after thinking that over, but the pair came to the end of the escalator where they had to part ways.

"I'll see you later, Rei."

"Of course you will."

"I will?"

"We are living together. It would be impossible to avoid each other." She said as she turned and headed to change.

Shinji looked a little confused at that statement, which only served to reaffirm Dr Akagi's comment about Rei's inability to 'live'.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Pulse and harmonics are normal!" said Maya over the console.

"No problems detected!" Added Makoto.

The Unit-00's re-activation had begun a little while back; Ritsuko, Gendo and the bridge crew were monitoring it from the test control room. Misato was looking at it from one of the observation rooms along with Shinji and Ginji.

"In Synch. All links completed!" Ritsuko said.

"Check list is satisfactory up to 2590." reported Maya, "Approaching the critical mark. 2.5 More."

Everybody tensed up a little during the countdown until finally the unit was active and fully in synch with Rei.

"Thank god." Misato sighed. "The last thing we need is for Unit 00 to go crazy and hurt Rei again."

"Misato." Ginji interrupted. "Did Ritsuko say anything about the new upgrade for Unit 01?"

That got Shinji's attention but he kept his eyes focused on orange Unit 00.

"Yeah. Something about the integration of the core... and the ... not needing the cords... and the..."

"You weren't paying attention again, were you?" he grinned.

"Not to all of it!" she shot back. "All that techno-babble gives me a headache."

Back in the command room...

"Commander!" Fuyutsuki said as he approached the grim man. "An unidentified object has been sighted approaching Tokyo-3. It may be the Fifth Angel."

"The test is complete. Go to first stage alert." ordered the commander.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The diamond like Fifth Angel floated towards the center of the city, looking as beautiful as it was ominous.

Ginji watched the monitors from the secondary War Room. _This is wrong_. He thought. _Shinji isn't ready for this._

"Unit-01 ready for battle!" he heard Maya's voice over the com.

"Launch!" he heard Misato shout from the central command room.

"We're detecting a high energy reaction from within the target." the voice of Makoto came through.

"What?"

"It's accelerating and massing upon itself!"

_DAMN IT!_ Ginji mentally screamed as he pressed the comm. button for Unit 01. "Shinji! The Angel is preparing to fire! Raise your AT-Field!"

The boy immediately followed the older man's orders and formed the AT-Field around the body of his Eva like he had been taught to do. He nearly exploded the exit portal open with his field as he suddenly saw the strange-looking Angel fire a glowing beam of pure light directly at him, which slammed into his AT-Field.

"Keep pushing, Shinji!" Ginji shouted.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Shinji shouted as the energy proved too much for Unit 01, resulting in a forceful explosion that literally rocked the giant purple robot out of it's restraints. The energy beam continued to fire as a sudden pulse launched from the Angel and collided with the AT-Field, the added force more than enough to push through the field and blast Shinji both off his feet and out towards the edge of the city itself.

Misato was on it. "Get a retrieval team out there now!" she screamed when she realized that the Angel wasn't continuing it's attack on The Eva. "Maya, what's the status of the pilot?"

"Life signs stable! Pilot is registering as... unconscious." the female tech said.

She sighed. "Thank god." she stood up and headed out of the control room. "Ritsuko, take over."

"Where are you going?" the blond asked.

"To talk to my husband!" she said as she descended down the personal lift towards the Second War Room.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Why did you do that!" Misato shouted at the man.

"Do what?" Ginji asked in confusion.

"Tell Shinji to raise his AT-Field!"

"The Angel was preparing to fire at him. He didn't have any other defensive ability or a shield that could have protected him. Or would you have preferred him to get shot in the chest?"

"The chest? How did you know it was going to hit him in the chest?" she asked.

"Because it's what I'd aim for. It's the biggest target on the Eva."

She conceded that point.

"Why are you getting so mad at me?" he asked her. "Is it because I suggested the AT-Field before you could say anything?"

"... maybe. I just... I would have unlocked the harness and told Shinji to duck."

_The way that thing was firing, I doubt that would have worked_. "Look, I'm sorry, but I did what I thought was right, out of concern for Shinji. I didn't mean to step on your toes, Misato."

She dropped her head and slammed her fist into the console. She sighed as she turned to him. "I know, but I couldn't... it's my job, my responsibility to direct and instruct the pilots in the field. And the fact that you're better at it than me makes me wonder... why you didn't take the job when it was offered to you."

"What do you..."

"You were offered the position of Operations Director before me. You turned it down. Why?"

"I didn't want it. I knew you could handle it." he explained.

"Then let **me** do **my** job!" she snapped at him.

He stared at her for a bit, then relaxed and smiled at her. "It won't happen again. I promise you." he said solemnly.

She smiled and threw herself into his arms. "Thanks." she said softly as she hugged him.

"Anyway, how's Shinji?" he asked, hugging her back.

Misato pulled away from him and turned to face the monitors that showed the Angel producing a drill from the bottom of it's body and drilling into the street, heading straight down towards the Geofront. A couple monitors were showing the retrieval team at Unit 01's location.

"Unconscious, but alive. No serious damage, head got knocked, maybe a little shock to his system when Unit 01 crashed into the city limits. The Eva is a little charred, but Ritsuko could have that buffed out in an hour."

"Good. Now we just need a strategy to take that thing down." he said, turning back to the monitor.

"Sounds like you've already got an idea."

"Maybe." he mused, his hand rubbing his chin. "One-on-one won't work in this case. No telling what's it's defensive abilities are. We need more info."

"So how do we get it?" she asked as a smile appeared on Ginji's face.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Status?" Misato ordered as the computer screens displayed the Angel and the information the Magi had collected and was analyzing.

"The Angel has destroyed the decoy and the Type 12 Mortar." Hyuga said.

"Anything that comes within it's blast radius is immediately locked onto and destroyed." Maya exclaimed.

_Wonder if we could put Gendo out there and have him shoot at it?_ Ginji silently mused.

"And it can generate an AT-Field powerful enough to deflect any bombardment." Maya exclaimed.

"Which means that dropping an N2 Mine on it would only do us more damage than it." Misato said.

"Unfortunately so." Hyuga replied.

"Offensively and defensively, it's almost perfect." Misato said.

"Like a flying fortress." Ginji mumbled.

Misato looked at him for a second and wondered, 'that's what I would have said'. "What about the drill?" she asked Hyuga.

"The Magi calculate the drill that's protruding from it's base will penetrate through all 22 layers or armor within 9 hours 27 minutes."

"Which puts it arrival time... just after midnight. With Unit 01 and it's pilot unharmed, for the most part, we still need a way to protect the pilot's life so he can get the job done." Misato said.

"Do you think we still have time to run up the white flag?" Hyuga asked.

"Before you do that, there's one more thing I want to try." she grinned smugly.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Gendo's office...)

"You want to do what?" Fuyutsuki asked, standing behind Gendo.

"I want to try a sniper tactic, sir." Misato said, standing meters away from the desk.

"Explain." Gendo said.

"I believe using a high-powered energy rifle to strike the target, from outside it's firing range, will have a greater affect on the target than a direct assault." Misato explained.

"But you're probability of success is only 12." the older man stated.

"It's the highest number we could get." she said, defending her position. "The Magi confirm it."

"I see. Very well, I see no reason to reject your proposal. You have a go, captain." Gendo ordered.

"Thank you, sir."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"You realize this plan is crazy." Ritsuko said as the pair descended one of the many escalators within the massive complex. "Don't you, _Captain_ Katsuragi?"

"Don't be rude, Ritz. It has the highest chance of success and can be completed within nine hours. Besides, it's the best shot we have."

"A long shot at best." Ritsuko commented. "But our positron cannon can't sustain the necessary energy needed to penetrate the Angel's AT-Field. Not even for one shot."

"Then if our's won't work, we'll borrow one."

"Borrow? From who?" her eyes suddenly widened. "You don't mean..."

"The JSSDF's new prototype."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force research facility...)

"I've come on behalf of NERV to requisition your position energy cannon as of 16:00 today." Ginji said as he presented the official requisition form to the head officer.

"But this is...just so ridiculous." the officer said.

"Relax, Aoshi, we'll try our best to return it in as close to it's original condition as possible." he said to the man.

"If it was someone else besides you, Ginji, I'd be more than a little worried." the head officer said.

Ginji smirked as he turned towards the roof. "Alright, Rei! Take it away!" the roof of the warehouse opened as a large orange cyclops peered into it. Everyone aside from Ginji and his assistant gasped.. "And be careful with that, it's a precision piece of equipment."

While everyone watched the gigantic orange colored robot lift the huge metallic container out of the warehouse, Aoba, who had accompanied Ginji on this trip, spoke up. "The Magi predict that we're going to need an incredible amount of energy in order to penetrate that Angel's AT-Field. Where are we going to get the necessary electricity for that?"

"Where do you think we'll get it? From all over Japan." the man smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Headquarters...)

"Ritsuko? It's Misato. How's the shield coming?" Misato called through the comm. to her friend.

Ritsuko was in the EVA cages with Maya.

"It's the best we could do on such short notice." the blond scientist said into her hands-free mic.

"Is that?" Maya asked as she looked at the rather familiar shaped defense tool. Sort of like an odd-shaped four-pointed star or a strange looking 'T'.

"Yes. It was sorta part of the space shuttle. It may look ugly, but it's got an electromagnetic coating that Section 9 guarantees will withstand the Angel's energy blast for 17 seconds. Not bad all things considered."

"Good work, Ritz." Misato said as she entered the secondary war room. "What about the power source?"

"Successful. We managed to get the core from the Fourth Angel installed prior to the Fifth's attack. However, it's just now become fully integrated into Eva 01."

"Just now?" she asked, confused.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Shinji successfully cut the core from the Fourth. Completely undamaged it yielded fantastic data. We were able to get the necessary parts integrated into Unit 01, thereby giving it an S2 Engine which will allow it its very own independent power source. But since the core is organic, it needed time to fully integrate itself with the mechanical systems of the Eva. Our current tests show that it has now fully become part of Unit 01."

"And why did it take so long?"

"Well, if Unit 01 had eaten the core, it would have automatically integrated itself into the Eva. But that would have been a sever shock to it's system. The feedback would have seriously hindered all normal operational functions until it could have become a workable S2 Engine. It might have even affected Shinji in god-only knows what way."

"Like a patient who just received a heart transplant." Misato mused. Tough in reality she knew there was more to it than that. It had to be more complicated.

"Exactly. As we were manually installing it into the Eva itself, it took some time before the Eva fully accepted the core."

"Understood. Eaten the core? Right." she laughed to herself. "What about Unit 00?"

"We're still working on it's S2 Engine. The parts of it that need finishing, we used for Unit 01."

"Which means?"

"We need time for the remaining parts to fully grow into an S2, or another Angel core."

"I'll see about getting you one." she said sarcastically. "In the meantime, we'll use Shinji in Unit 01 to handle the difficult part of this operation." She turned off the comm. to Ritsuko and turned back to Hyuga, who was working at the terminal. "What about the sniping position?" she asked.

"Based on proximity, topography, direct line of sight to target, and accessability to power cables, this is our best bet." the computer tech exclaimed.

Misato looked over his shoulder to the visual on the computer screen. "Mt. Futago, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Right. From here on in, this operation is going to be called, Operation Yoshima!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji woke up and stared at the ceiling for several minutes before the door opened and Rei came in with a tray of food.

"Rei-chan." Shinji whispered.

"Hello Shinji-kun. Are you well?" the girl asked.

"Better now that you are here." he said as he sat up, unaware of his nakedness.

"I have brought you dinner. I am here to brief you on the Operation Yoshima Timetable." she said, pulling a notebook with a schedule out of her pocket. "At 1800, Pilots Ikari and Ayanami will arrive at the cage for preparation. At 1830, Units 00 and 01 will deploy. They will arrive at the temporary base on Mt Futago by 1900. The operation is scheduled to begin precisely at midnight. Prior to the actual operation, Pilots Ikari and Ayanami will be prepped and briefed as to the full extent of the operation itself."

She put the schedule back into her pocket. "We are free until 1800. Eat and rest now. Ginji and Captain Katsuragi will come back to check on you later."

Shinji nodded. "Thanks, Rei."

She then reached for something on the bottom of the cart. "This is your new one." she said, dropping the spare plugsuit in his lap. Shinji looked a little confused, until Rei said. "Don't show up looking like that."

Shinji wasn't sure what she was implying, until he looked down and suddenly realized that his plugsuit had been removed. He pulled the blankets to cover himself. "Sorry." he said.

"What for?" she asked.

Suddenly, Shinji noticed something else.

"My pendant! Where's My Pendant!" he gasped.

"Here." Rei said, reaching into her pocket and pulling the silver chained item out.

Shinji snatched it from her hands quickly and sighed with relief, seeing his mothers picture safely inside it.

"Thank you, Rei-chan. You have no idea how much this means to me." he said, holding his pendant tightly to his chest.

"Apparently so."

He pulled the chain around his neck as he looked up to face her. "I have to pilot, don't I?"

"Yes, you do." Rei answered him straightforwardly.

He sighed again. "It's my job, I know." he took a deep breath before he spoke again. "But... what if I don't?"

"Then I will pilot Unit 01." she replied, Shinji looking somewhat shocked. "Dr Akagi has already installed the core from the previous Angel into Unit 01, to allow for maximum efficiency. She is prepared to rewrite Unit 01 to allow me to pilot it." she gestured to the food on the tray.

"I'll pilot." he said, before Rei could mention his dinner.

Rei looked up at him.

"I never said I wouldn't... I just wanted to know if I chose not to." he said, looking at the tray. "My dinner?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Rei-chan." he said, accepting it and started eating.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It was 6:30 in the waning evening as both Shinji and Rei left NERV and headed to Mt Futago. When they arrived, they were greeted by Ginji and Misato.

A mild argument over using the JSSDF's energy cannon as a sniper rifle came to a close as Ginji brought out their dinner. Everyone made themselves busy to get the power cables, the heavy machinery, and the Eva's prepped for action.

When the time came, virtually all of Japan went into blackout mode to provide the Eva's a way to stop this new Angel.

While this was going on, Shinji and Rei were dressed in their plugsuits and waiting for the order to begin the operation.

"Rei-chan? Why do you pilot Eva?" Asked Shinji from their view point of the city; besides their Eva's.

Rei seemed to think a little about her answer. "Because I'm bonded to it." she said.

"Bonded to it?"

"Yes, it is a bond, to all people."

"That's pretty noble. You're very strong."

"I have nothing else…"

Shinji looked at her as if hurt. "What do you mean?"

"It is time. Let's go." she replied, ignoring his question. "…Goodbye."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Shinji, we're entrusting you with the energy of the entire nation of Japan!" Said Misato through the intercom "We're counting on you!"

"Ok!"

"Initiate primary connections!"

Turbines roared, little parts of the forest burned around the over heated connection cables, Unit-01 lay flat on its stomach, waiting for the right time to shoot.

"Error correction for Earth rotation and gravity is 0.0009."

Shinji waited, anxious for the aiming computer to lock on the target.

"Transmitting all energy to the positron rifle."

The countdown started, the tension grew between the staff.

_And here we go._ Ginji thought.

"High energy output detected inside target!" Informed an alarmed Maya.

"It can't be!" Misato shouted.

"…three…two…one…" Ritsuko counted.

"Fire!" ordered Misato; both titans fired their weapon at the same time, the beams twisted and turned around each other, the little temporary base rocked violently at the explosion shock wave. "Shinji! What happened? Did you miss?"

"I don't under..." he started to respond, but Ginji overrode him.

"The energy beams repelled each other. They **both** missed."

"Get a second shot ready! Hurry!" Misato shouted.

"The electromagnetic field of the angel's weapon is interfering with the computer!" informed Shigeru, "We'll need one minute to fix it!"

"The target is ready to shoot again!" Maya shouted.

"No! Not now!" Misato cried.

"Come on!" Shinji said when he saw the Angel shining brightly. _Mother, help me!_ He thought as he suddenly saw Unit 00 step in front of him and plant the shield in the ground as the beam hit.

"REI!" Ginji shouted.

"That shield won't last long!" Ritsuko shouted.

"Are we ready yet?" Misato shouted.

"FORTY SECONDS!" Hyuga shouted.

"Misato! I need to fire!" Shinji shouted.

"No!" Ritsuko shouted. "We can't risk missing again!"

Shinji glanced at the orange Eva, both the shield and its armor were melting under the enormous pressure and heat of the Angel's attack. "Rei's not going to last much longer!"

"Just thirty more seconds!" Hyuga shouted.

"That shield's only good for less than 20!" Ginji shouted.

"I'm shooting!" Shinji shouted.

"Shinji!" Misato shouted, but a gentle hand on her shoulder from Ginji stopped her.

"Trust him." he said to his wife.

_Mother, guide my hand_. Shinji said as he gripped his pendant and pulled the trigger on the gun.

Shinji's synch ratio rose quickly as Unit 01 jerked at the rifle's kickback, the beam flying straight the instant the Angel's energy beam dissipated, blowing a hole straight through it.

Shinji however, didn't wait for confirmation, didn't hear the cries of celebration, as he raced to Rei's Eva and pulled the entry plug from it. He set it down gently and ejected himself from the purple unit.

_What…idiot…designed…these…things?_ Shinji groaned, pulling on the handles of the superheated entry plug. Finally, after burning his own hands, "REI! Are you alright?"

She slowly the girl opened her eyes and stared into his tear-stained face.

"You're alive! Thank god you're alive!" he cried. "And don't say it, don't you ever say you have nothing. And don't say goodbye like that again, it's just too sad!"

Rei looked at the boy before her. Her friend and fellow pilot. The one who saved her at her apartment and who had now burned his hands, just as Ginji had done, and now shed tears because she was alive. "I'm sorry…" she replied after a short pause. "…I don't know what I should do or feel at times like this."

"Why don't you try smiling?" he suggested with a small smile.

A sudden rush of warmth filled her, the familiar feeling she had when she was in Ginji's presence came to her, and in a similar fashion to the boy, Rei smiled.

_Such a pretty smile_. Shinji thought before he gently helped Rei out of the entry plug.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Outside the mobile command unit...

"He did it." Misato said, her arms wrapped around Ginji's waist. "He really did it."

"You had a doubt?" the man asked his wife.

"A little. You had more faith than I did."

"And you're the one wearing the cross." he smirked.

She gave him a small squeeze.

"You knew this was going to happen. Didn't you?"

Ginji didn't answer her.

"Ginji." she looked at him, seriously. "Shinji."

That caught his attention.

"You told me what was going to happen. I want you to tell me again. Everything you know, from the start."

Ginji sighed as he stared at her. He knew this was going to happen sooner or later.

"I promise." he said, pressing his forehead to hers. "But right now... let's go get the kids."

Misato smiled as her husband lead her down to where the Eva's stood.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Author's Notes:

Here it is, the battle with the 5th Angel and more Ginji/Misato, Shinji/Rei interactions. I hope everyone enjoyed it, as well as the flashback scene with Misato, Dr Katsuragi and Gendo.

Hopefully this chapter explained more about the extent of how Shinji became Ginji, and the true purpose of this whole story. I'll let you try and figure out who the 'other' being that Shinji was talking to in the Mind Flash actually was. If anyone has any comments or thoughts regarding this, or needs an explanation or two, drop me a line.

I tried to do the Angel battle a little differently than its original and hopefully I succeeded, though to be honest there are things in it that I just couldn't get past. Like the whole Misato making the plan and everyone else's reactions and jobs. Though really, it was Ginji's plan, as he knew what was going to happen, he just let his wife present it to Gendo.

Also, the past few chapters have me dumping on Gendo, but I decided to give more emphasis to the main characters and the story. Don't worry, I'll get him later.

Furthermore, I have decided to make these chapters as extensive as possible, but also to try and make the Angel battles less of the focal point than they were originally written up.

Next chapter: Shinji, Rei, Ginji and Misato take on the rogue JetAlone robot before it destroys Old Tokyo. More flashbacks, more fights, some Gendo-bashing, and a party! Stay tuned for... **_Rock'em Sock'em Robots!_** in the next exciting chapter of "SECOND TIME AROUND!"

And please, read and review.


	8. Second Impact

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

_Chapter 8 pt 1 — Second Impact_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.

Xon's Letztes Gestell: Adding the core of the Angel to Unit 01 would give it an actual S2 Engine that would enable it to have more fight time in case the able got severed. Nevertheless, I'm sure you know that Gendo would try to find a way to maintain control of the Eva. I'm working on that too.

Dragoon Galaxy: Yes, Ginji is Shinji's older-self, but Ginji is the 'Shinji' from another world where his Third Impact occurred, and sent to a world where Second Impact just hasn't happened yet. (Just saying this in case you're not totally clear on this)

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Antarctica, 2000)

"And this is the medical bay." Misato said as she grabbed Shinji and pulled him down the hallway. "And this is the lunch room." she said as she pulled the boy down the hall again. "Convenient how they're right next to each other, huh?"

Shinji could only nod as he was dragged down the halls of the Antarctic research station.

"Come on, Shinji, I'll show you where you'll be staying!" she cried out as she again pulled on the large coat that he had been given to wear.

Around the station the twenty-something assembled people just watched in amusement, at various points around the base, how lively and enthusiastic Dr Katsuragi's daughter had become since the arrival of this new boy.

Everyone agreed that it only made sense, now that Misato had someone her own age to play with and relate to. For the life of them, they couldn't understand why Dr Katsuragi would bring his 14 year old daughter to Antarctica. Even if he and his wife were no longer together, it still made little sense.

What's more, the boy seemed nice enough, and was obviously smitten with Misato. Otherwise he would have objected to being pulled around like a rag doll. As to why he was here, they didn't know. But seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter was enough to make up for their curiosity.

Misato pulled Shinji to the bunkhouse where most of the crew were staying.

"You'll be staying here with the men. Luckily these things are double bunks so there's an extra one for you to sleep in." Misato explained, showing Shinji the bunk at the far end.

"Thanks Misato-san." Shinji smiled at her, his hand still clutched to hers.

Misato noticed this, as well as the fact that she hadn't tried to let go either.

"Hey, Shinji, wanna do something that'll get us into a lot of trouble?" she said with a mischievous grin.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Two of the female techs had just finished their deep-ice scans and were heading back to catch a nap before their next shift.

"YES! Back on top!" a familiar female voice called out from the back bed.

"You play too rough!" a new male voice said from the back bunk.

"I'm a girl. I play to win!"

"You don't have to be so hard on me. It's my first time."

"Yeah, I can tell. But you're not doing bad... for a virgin!"

The two techs looked at each other curious and moved back to see what was going on. They peered around the corner and saw Dr Katsuragi's daughter and the new boy they had found in the snow on Misato's bed... fully clothed and playing cards.

"Did you have to use that term?" he asked her with a mild blush on his face.

"What term?" she grinned.

"Virgin." he said.

"HA! Made you say it!" she teased. "You owe me five bucks!"

"Do I look like I have that kind of cash on me?" he whined.

The two techs pulled their heads back with a smile and went back to their bunks.

"Come on, pay up!"

Shinji looked at her, figuring she was playing, but he had come to expect this from the woman who was his former guardian. However, he decided to have some fun with her anyway.

"How about something else?" he offered.

"Something else? Like what?" she asked._ A kiss maybe?_

"Well, show me again where the kitchen is."

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Thirty minutes later, Misato was neck-deep in the most incredible meal she had ever tasted.

"Mmm-Mmmmmm!" she moaned as she shoved another fork into her mouth.

"I take it you like that?" Shinji asked as he set down another plate of dressing.

"Umm-hmmm!" she nodded in total delight.

Despite the extensive, yet variety-limiting, food supplies that they had in stock, the young man was able to whip up a culinary masterpiece that Misato had never tasted before. It was a Chinese dish, with noodles, meat and vegetables, and an incredible array of spices that made Misato's taste buds dance with joy.

Shinji just sat down across from her and smiled at seeing her happy.

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It had been a couple days since Shinji had cooked for Misato, yet he found himself in the kitchen cooking for the whole expedition. Apparently when Misato's father had heard what a good cook the boy was, he immediately assigned him KP duty. He had done this mostly because everyone on this expedition had a job, save Misato it seemed, and it wasn't as if Shinji had any other responsibilities or duties while he was staying with them.

He had just finished up desert and was sitting down on a bench outside the cafeteria when Misato appeared and sat down.

"That was a great dinner, Shinji-kun." Misato said.

"Thank's Misato-san." he replied as he leaned back against the wall.

Since his arrival, the pair had been virtually inseparable. Misato had even volunteered to work in the kitchen with Shinji, despite her inexperience to cook anything.

"Do you have any idea how much longer we're going to be here?" Shinji asked.

"Nope." Misato replied. "But at least that creepy Gendo guy is gone."

_Father's gone?_ "Really? When?"

"Yesterday. Dad said it was urgent."

_Something not right_. He thought.

"Hey, uh, Shinji?" the girl asked, fidgeting a little.

"Yeah, Misato?" he asked, not really noticing her nervousness.

"Have you ever... kissed a girl?"

He balked and blushed at that question.

"WHAT?"

"Well, have you?"

"I..." he said, turning away with some sadness. "I have."

Misato noticed the tone of his voice. "It wasn't good?"

"Well, the first ten seconds were."

"Ten seconds?" she looked surprised.

"She, uh... pinched my nose because my breath was tickling her. I nearly suffocated." he explained.

That actually brought a smile to Misato's face. Not because she found his suffering amusing, but because it meant that she could be better than that.

In Shinji's mind, something sparked. Was Misato asking because she was curious, or was she playing with him? He didn't think she was old enough to have had a boyfriend, especially not here in this barren arctic wasteland. And Shinji himself knew all too well what teenage hormones and being this close to an attractive member of the opposite sex did to a person.

And even as a teenager, Misato was no less attractive to him than he remembered her as an adult. And if he had learned anything from both Misato and Asuka...

"Misato..." he said, taking her hands in his as he stood up. "Can I ask you something?"

"Oh, course, Shinji-kun." she said with a blush as she stood up with him.

"Could I... I mean..." she started to say.

"What?" she asked, curious.

"Would you be offended if I asked to kiss you?"

Misato blushed harder but smiled. She leaned forward, puckering her lips as she closed her eyes.

Shinji blushed a little as he moved in slowly, holding her hands tightly as he gently pressed his lips to her own.

Her entire body felt warm, her heartbeat pounding like crazy.

_My first kiss_. She thought as she leaned in more, placing her hands on his chest. _He's so good at this._

Shinji remembered how Misato, adult-Misato, had kissed him just before he was sent off in Unit 01 to help Asuka. Before Third Impact had happened and he had ended up here. Figuring that this was most likely teenage-Misato's first kiss, Shinji duplicated adult-Misato's kiss, gripping her shoulders to hold her close to him.

He broke the kiss, seeing Misato was still eyes-closed puckering as he pulled back.

"Did you like that, Misato-san?" he asked her, noticing the incredibly adorable look on her face.

_Oh GOD! Where has this guy been all my life?_

(A/N: I know she's only 14, but go with me on this)

"Misato-chan." she corrected. "Please call me Misato-chan."

"Very well, Misato-chan." he stated.

"Kiss me again." she pleaded with him.

He smiled as he leaned in and kissed her once again.

Suddenly, a forceful explosion rocked the entire complex, knocking the pair off their feet and into the floor, still wrapped in each others arms.

"Wow! That was incredible!" Misato gasped as she stared at him.

"That wasn't me, Misato-chan." Shinji said as he helped the girl to her feet.

"MISATO! SHINJI!" Dr Katsuragi shouted as he came barreling down the hallway.

"Dr Katsuragi, what's going on?" Shinji asked as another shockwave nearly knocked them off their feet.

"Trouble! The Angels awake!"

"The WHAT?" the pair gasped.

"Long story! We have to get to the escape pods!"

Another explosion rocked the trio off their feet and into the wall.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Dr Hiroshi Katsuragi trudged through the snow as the fierce stinging winds tried to rip through his clothes. But he ignored it. He had one goal right now, and that was to save his daughter.

Behind him the young man who called himself Shinji Ikari strove to keep up with them.

They were all three of them injured, bruised and bleeding, the girl herself unconscious.

Katsuragi knew that he wouldn't survive this, but that wasn't what was on his mind at the moment. His goal was to save his daughter.

He was sorry for how he had treated her, sorry that he had made her come on this trip with him. This trip, his life these last few years; they were all to spare her an even greater pain. And in that he had failed. He knew that she hated it, everything and almost everyone on this trip. Only when Shinji had arrived did he see her even smile. And that was when he realized what he needed to ask.

"Shinji."

"Yes, sir?" the boy asked.

"Listen to me, closely. Whatever happens to me, I want you to take care of Misato."

"What? What are you..."

The explosions and energy pulsating behind him caused the boy to silence himself.

"This is all my fault, Shinji. Everything that's happened here. I tried to spare my daughter the pain of what I knew was coming, trying to keep her as safe as I could. But I failed. Now the only thing I can hope for, is that she will live."

He pushed on with the young man behind him.

"I can't make up for what I've done. This is all I can do." he said as he forced the door to the warehouse open with his shoulder. Shinji followed him inside.

Inside the damaged warehouse, the pair saw the escape pods. They were meant as a last resort should the mission prove a disaster.

And only one had survived.

"Somehow, I find this fitting. Only the real innocents will survive this day."

"What?" Shinji asked, having a fairly good idea what he was talking about.

"Shinji, I don't know who you really are, where you come from, or why you're really here. But I'm asking you, whether I have the right or not, do you... do you care for her?"

Shinji felt that he was under the gun here and immediately answered.

"Misato? Yes, I do."

He smiled. "Then I'm asking you, as a father, that no matter what happens here and now, I want you to promise me that you will take care of my daughter. Never leave her, love her if you can, protect her, but care for her."

"What... what are you saying?"

Reaching his damaged arm outward, he opened the pod, "This escape pod will fit the two of you. It'll be snug, but that can't be helped. Get in."

Shinji started to protest, until the wall exploded inward. He jumped into the escape pod as the man handed Misato to him. Looking down, he saw her eyes shake, as she began to awaken.

"Promise me, Shinji. Promise me you will take care of Misato."

Shinji looked at the man as he nestled down into the pod, the girl in his arms.

"I promise."

In his mind, Dr Katsuragi could see what might have been.

He saw her grow up into a beautiful woman, he saw her find love, and her future at Tokyo University —it had been her mother's dream for her to go there, he saw the day she'd marry, the grandchildren he might spoil.

He saw everything...and knew he would never have a chance to see it. He didn't wonder if he had been shown a glimpse of the future, or if he was just hallucinating.

Tears began flowing, mixing with the blood on his face that flowed from his head wounds. Everyone else was gone. The three of them were the last, and he would be damned before it included them. Blood and tears fell from his face, splattering the children's cheeks. Smiling, he said the only thing he could think of to them both.

The girl's eyes shivered, before she turned to face him, her eyes opening in both question and fear. "Remember your promise, Shinji." she heard him say.

"I won't forget." he replied.

"Father?" Misato said weakly as he put something in her coat.

"I love you, Misato-chan." the man said, caressing her cheek softly.

The pod doors slammed shut, and he smiled.

_You're safe, that's all I asked for. I am ready now, to die. Thank you, God, for allowing me to at least...say...goodbye._

With that, he smiled as he collapsed onto the pod.

Seconds later, Second Impact occurred.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The violent rocking of the escape pod lasted for untold minutes, but Shinji and Misato could feel themselves tumbling over and over each other, until it finally righted themselves. Shinji shifted and managed to push the capsule door open.

Despite their injuries, both teenagers stood up in the pod and stared out at the intense explosion of light upon the horizon that was once Antarctica.

Misato couldn't speak as she looked towards the horizon, twin pillars of light sprang from the depths of the ocean towards the heavens, the very clouds themselves circling them. A rain of light began to fall, as if the sky itself was now showering shooting stars to the Earth.

But she wasn't thinking about that. Her thoughts were on the person who had brought her here, who had caused her so much pain, and the pain it had caused her mother.

Her father.

"_I love you, Misato-chan." _She remembered his words.

She continued to stare, long past the time when the lights stopped, and time held any meaning. Her soul continued to debate whether she should hate the man for taking her there, or hate him for saving her. While those thoughts gave her little comfort, what did was the young man who stood next to her. Her only friend in all this, and now, the only person she had left in the world.

Shinji just stared at the glowing skyline, realizing that this is what Misato had seen during Second Impact of his world. And now he was seeing it as well. He felt a pressure on his arm and looked to see Misato had wrapped her arms around his.

_Second Impact. _Shinji thought as he continued to stare unblinking. He looked over at Misato when he felt the pressure on his arm. _This is what Misato saw when she was a teenager. Where she lost her father. Made her the way she was._ He thought as he pulled the girl into a comforting hug.

"Misato..." he said softly.

"Shinji... father... he's..." she started to say, before burying herself in his chest, but didn't cry as he hugged her gently.

_Misato had to face this whole thing alone last time. This time around... she isn't alone. I'll keep my promise, Dr Katsuragi. I won't let Misato face this whole thing by herself._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The pair were picked up two days later by the Aircraft Carrier 'Over the Rainbow'

If Shinji hadn't been so worried about Misato, he would have found the situation both humorous and ironic that it was this ship that had picked him up.

As it was, his attention was on Misato, who hadn't spoken since the event. This left Shinji to give his best interpretation of what had happened, fudging the truth about his being in Antarctica. The version he gave was that his family was on a chartered plane over the Antarctic, because his father was using a shortcut, and they crashed near the Katsuragi base.

He was the only survivor. And saying that was a moot point with the Impact having occurred.

Needless to say, the officers were stunned. Especially that two teenagers had survived the entire event that by all reports had resulted in the death of millions.

A number that was quickly growing every hour it seemed.

It had been a week, and Misato hadn't spoken. She had eaten, with Shinji feeding her mostly, and slept, but only with Shinji right next to her. It seemed to calm her.

A tap on the glass of their room called Shinji into the hallway.

"I'll be right back, Misato." he said to her and stepped into the hallway.

"So, who are you two?" the officer asked, looking like he was trying to file an official report.

Shinji was sure he hadn't met this officer before. From his glasses and the number of pens in his pocket, he looked like a record keeper.

"She is Misato Katsuragi." he said.

"And you are?" the man asked, writing down everything he heard as a second officer walked up.

"Shinji. Shinji Ikari." he said automatically.

"Uh... there's no listing of a 'Shinji Ikari' anywhere in our files." the second officer said.

_No file? Of course! I haven't been born yet. Or... my double in this world hasn't been born yet_. Shinji thought.

"Damn it! Don't tell me the archive databases in Japan were wiped out too?" the first officer said.

"Most of Japan's coastal cities were confirmed wiped out hours ago. Tokyo was the first to go. If he is from Japan, then all records of his identity were wiped out." the record keeper said. "Birth certificates, social security numbers, everything."

_Everything? Wiped out?_ Shinji thought. _Hmm. This could be my chance to create a new identity for myself. Create a new life. _

"Well, kid. We could create a new file for you. Do you want to be called Shinji Ikari?" the man asked.

"No." he waved it off. "Could I choose a new name?"

"I don't see why not." he said, not really caring at this point.

Shinji noticed that both men hadn't slept much in the past two days. Second Impact would have had that kind of an effect on people.

"What name would you like?" the record keeper asked.

Shinji thought about that for a minute. "Akaris. Ginji Akaris!"

It was a completely made up name, and Shinji was actually proud he had come up with it.

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Authors Notes: 

Hope everyone liked this chapter update.

It's primarily a flashback story showing how Shinji became Ginji, how Misato and Ginji got closer, and even about Second Impact. It is also a part-1 connected story with the next chapter that leads into their dealing with JetAlone.

I probably should have gone into detail about Ginji and Misato's college years, but I decided to do it after the JetAlone battle. This means it will tie into Chapter 9 of this story. Still don't know yet if that will be a two-parter as well.

Hope everyone is happy with this story and please read my other stories, and as always, Review for me, please.


	9. Rockem Sockem Robots

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

_Chapter 8 pt 2 — **Rock'em Sock'em Robots**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: Same as always.

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(Tokyo-3, Katsuragi/Ikari/Ayanami apartment, 2015)

Ginji sighed as he woke from his reverie about Second Impact, of when he and Misato were the only survivors at Ground Zero, as it were. His attention turned back to the video reply scans from Shinji's Angel battles. The monitor displayed a split-screen. On the left side was an exterior shot of Unit 01 battling the Angels, while the right side was an interior shot of Shinji in the cockpit.

It was as he feared. Every critical moment where Unit 01 had claimed victory over the Angels, had Shinji clutching his mothers pendant.

_It's not like I could blame him. He misses his mother. We both do._ He mentally sighed as he leaned back in his chair away from his laptop.

On the table sat his laptop, which was continuously replaying Shinji's battles, as well as one of his modified and personalized Desert Eagles which had been stripped so that it could be cleaned. There was also a can of soda, a half-eaten sandwich, and his wife's bra hanging off one of the edges.

_There has to be something I can do to help. If he becomes too dependant on his pendant as a source of strength, it'll end up being a weakness as well_.

He was broken out of his thoughts as a pair of slim bare arms wrapped around him from behind, hugging him tightly as a pair of lips kissed his cheek.

"Morning hon!" the adult Misato said cheerily. "You're up early."

"Yeah. Trying to figure out this puzzle." he said, pointing to the screen.

"Shinji and Unit 01. Winning against the Angels. Don't see a problem."

"Look at Shinji."

"He's... clutching the pendant you gave him." she noticed.

"Exactly."

"You mean... oh. You think he's becoming too dependant on it?"

"Like a crutch."

"But you gave him that... crutch." she said.

"To help him walk, not to become his third leg."

"So, what are you going to do?" she asked, hugging him tighter.

"I have an idea. It's chancy, but Shinji needs to see that he can stand on his own. He needs his own strength."

"And speaking of strength, I smell breakfast cooking." she said as she moved away from him.

"I do too." he said as he got up and turned around, seeing his nude wife walk over to the closet.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Pen-Pen swallowed his cooked fish happily as his caretaker munched on his toast.

Shinji looked over at Ginji, who was more interested in what he was writing in his notepad than breakfast. At least he had thanked the young man for making said meal.

Shinji looked over at Misato, who slammed down another can of beer after letting out a monstrous yell. He shook his head.

Shinji then looked over at Rei who was quietly munching on her vegetarian omelet. She had thanked him for making it before she started eating.

"Yeeehaa! There's no better way to start a day!" Misato shouted again.

"You know, normal people prefer coffee…" Shinji mused.

_Oh, here we go._ Ginji thought with an amused smirk, rolling his eyes.

"Look, a traditional Japanese breakfast begins with rice, Miso soup and sake." She retorted.

"That's beer, not sake…" he pointed out.

"Oh, would you lighten up?" she asked him.

"And you do realize that you're setting a bad example for Rei-chan and myself." Shinji stated.

Misato looked over to her husband for help, only to find him buried in his notebook.

"AHEM!" she coughed.

"I just live here." Ginji said.

"Which is why you should have an opinion about this." she said.

"Fine." he said, setting down his pen and looking up to address the group. "Misato, sober up. Shinji, lighten up. And Rei..." he said, the blue-haired girls head turned towards the man. "...dress up."

Shinji and Misato gave the man a sour look and then resumed their meal in silence.

It was at that point that Pen-Pen waddled over to Shinji, patted his leg with his flipper and then went back to his fridge.

"Looks like someone appreciates my breakfast." Shinji said.

"We all appreciate your cooking, Shinji." Ginji said.

"Yeah, I know. But actually... he was probably more grateful to the fact I cooked than Misato."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the woman asked.

Ginji looked at the fridge and groaned. "Uh, Misato..." he said, pointing to the schedule.

The woman looked over and hissed. "My turn."

"Yup." Shinji said smugly.

"I'm sorry, and before you say anything, I'm not lazy!" Misato said.

"How about a slob? A poor cook?" Shinji asked.

"A drunkard." Rei stated.

"I GET IT! I GET IT!" the now enraged Misato shrieked.

Wisely, Ginji had kept his mouth shut.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get that." Shinji said as he got up from the table, followed by Rei.

"Good morning Mister Ikari!" Toji and Kensuke cried in unison.

"Morning, boys." Shinji said as Rei emerged from behind him.

"REI?" they gasped in unison.

"What's she doing here?" Kensuke asked.

"Spending the night? Shinji you lucky dog!" Toji joked.

"It's not like that! Rei's living here now." Shinji explained.

"Why?" Kensuke asked.

"My apartment building collapsed." Rei replied.

"WITH YOU IN IT?" they gasped.

Shinji soured. "Yes, that's right. She was inside when the whole place came tumbling down." he said sarcastically.

They overlooked the comment and pushed Shinji aside.

"We're taking off Miss Misato!" they cried out, stating the real reason they had come over.

"Take care!" said reason greeted from the bathroom, weaving her hand through the door, causing the two boys cry in joy as several naughty thoughts developed in their minds.

"Err…can we go now?" Shinji said, pushing the two boys apart so that Rei could get past.

(Back inside the apartment...)

"I wonder if I should have walked out naked. That would've gotten a rise out of them." Misato said with a devilish smirk.

"Wouldn't advise that." Ginji said as he set his glass down again.

"Why?"

"Kensuke always carries a camera on him." he smiled.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji watched lazily from the classroom window as they 'dismantled' the last angel.

_I wonder what they're gonna do with that? _he thought. _Then again, I wonder why the Angels are attacking. It's not like we're a real threat to them._ He thought, then added glumly, _Without Eva._

He remembered a conversation with Dr. Akagi and Misato when they told him that the real cause of Second Impact wasn't a meteor as they say in books, but rather the awakening of Adam, the first Angel. He also remembered when they told him that Angels where ninety-something percent genetically close to human beings. That made him a little confused as to what he was supposed to do in regards to fighting them.

The roaring of engines and the screeching of wheels cut him of his thoughts, "I know that sound…" he muttered looking down at the school parking lot in time to see a familiar black sports car speeding into the parking lot, spinning on it's tires, doing a 180 degree turn and coming to a perfect stop right between the parking stall lines.

_Weird. Did Ginji let Misato drive?_

"Oh my God! She's here!" the voice of Kensuke Aida shouted.

The other two stooges rushed towards the window nearly pushing Shinji through it. They watched as the beautiful captain of NERV got out of the passenger seat and started walking towards the building. She was dressed in a short skirt, white blouse that looked really good on her, a necklace of pearls, a purse, a pair of high heels and sunglasses. The whole ensemble accentuated her gorgeous figure.

It only served to get everyone's attention turned away from the second person who got out of the car.

"Hello! Miss Misato!" Shouted Toji, while Kensuke recorded the event, causing the purple haired captain to look up and give the 'peace' sign. By this moment, most of the boys had joined in, along with the ones from the other classrooms.

"Who's that?"

"Is that Ikari's bodyguard?"

"What A Babe!"

"Such nice boobs!" muttered one of them, voicing the thoughts of the rest. "And those legs!"

"I'll do _anything_ to have a girlfriend like that…" said Toji dreamingly.

"Good luck." Shinji smirked.

"Huh? What's that supposed to..." he started asking, only to be cut off by a girls voice.

"WHAT A HUNK!"

"Huh?" the male members of the classes gasped in unison as they finally noticed the second person.

All eyes turned to the man that was with her. He was a bit taller than Misato, and dressed in a nice pair of black pants, white buttoned shirt, and polished shoes. He looked athletic and chiseled features adorned his face. Sunglasses covered his eyes, and Shinji noticed that he wasn't carrying his guns.

"Who the heck is that?" one of the guys gasped.

"That's Ginji. Misato's husband." Shinji explained.

A loud, unified deflated moan came from all the boys in class, and Shinji vaguely noticed, the girls too. Toji reaction was a little different.

"Her HUSBAND?" Toji gasped. "Why didn't you tell us?" he accused.

"You never asked?" Shinji said simply.

Toji huffed. "What did _he_ do to deserve such an incredibly beautiful woman?"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"I think the meeting went well." Misato said as the pair exited the front doors.

"I think the principal was trying to look down your blouse." Ginji grinned.

"Yeah, I got that too." she grinned as she wrapped her arms around his. "Don't worry, hun. He can look, but you're the only one who gets to touch."

Ginji grinned at the shameless woman he called his wife.

He paused as he noticed a quartet of young men eagerly trying to get into his car, with a lockpick and crowbar. They couldn't have been older than 18 or 19, and a couple of them looked older than that. One looked a little too large to actually be in school.

"Stay here, Misa-chan." Ginji said as he moved away from his wife.

"Oh boy. This is going to be good." she grinned.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Can I help you?" Ginji asked a she walked over to them.

"Yeah! My buddy locked his keys in his car." one of them said.

Ginji mentally groaned at such a bad lie. "Really? You mean... these keys?" he asked as he held them up, then pressed one of the buttons, which caused the alarm to go off. It was only a second as Ginji turned it off. "I suggest you leave, boys."

"I suggest you give us the keys, man." another one said, gripping his crowbar.

"Can't do that." Ginji said as he put the keys back in his pocket as the group surrounded him.

The apparent leader of the group charged him, only to be met with a foot in his chest as Ginji leaped into the air, spun around and kicked him hard. The punk was sent down as the guy with the crowbar tried to nailed him from behind. Ginji spun around, easily deflecting the blunt instrument as he grabbed the guys head from behind, twisting him around and flipped him onto his face. The sound of vertebrae cracking was heard, but the punk wasn't dead.

The third punk leaped into the air and tried to kick Ginji in the face, only to have the man turn to avoid the kick and slam his knuckles into his knee, dropping him down onto his back side. Two areas of pain now surging through him.

The larger punk pulled out a butterfly knife and twirled it around, as if trying to be intimidating. Ginji just smirked at him as he lunged forward. Quicker than the punk had expected, Ginji's foot lashed out and kicked the knife out of his hand. The knife spiraled around and flew towards Ginji's car. He reacted in a split second and caught the knife before it made contact with the black paint. (Not that it would have scratched it) The punk charged the man as Ginji also moved, slamming the knife into the punks neck. Not puncturing it, but actually causing it to roll around his neck like a hoolahoop around a person's body. He caught the knife as it circled the punks neck, gripping the handle he held it at the perfect angle to slice him across said neck.

He glared at the punk for just a couple seconds, noticing the fear in his eyes. He then pulled the blade back, spun it around in front of his face, reeled back and punched him hard with his fist, dropping him hard onto the asphalt.

Noticing that their leader was recovering and had grabbed the crowbar. Ginji shook his head as he twirled the knife around and threw it at him, imbedding the blade into the asphalt only a couple inches from his crotch.

The punk gasped as he looked at Ginji, dropped the crowbar and then passed out.

Misato stepped gingerly around the defeated quartet, looking at them with an amused grin.

"You enjoyed that didn't you?" she asked.

"A little." he smirked.

"So protective of your car."

"It's my baby."

"Why don't you ever do that for me?" she pouted with a small whine.

"Misato." he said as he stepped towards her. "If anyone ever threatened you, not even an Eva would be able to save them from me."

High above from the school windows, nearly a hundred eyes were all unblinking. The car alarm had caught everyone's attention and the fight outside had held it. The guys were stunned at Ginji's physical prowess, the girls were swooning at it. Kensuke had captured the entire fight on his camera and he was currently recording a rather passionate kiss between the man and woman.

"That's... that's your guardian?" Toji asked, his mouth hanging open like a fish.

"Yeah." Shinji said simply, watching the affection pass between the pair.

Toji was impressed and now thoroughly convinced that Ginji was worthy of a gorgeous woman like Misato.

Suddenly, Toji noticed something he hadn't before as Misato had removed his sunglasses to kiss him. "Hey! That's... that's the guy!" he gasped.

"Guy? What guy?" Kensuke asked.

"The guy who saved Mari when that first monster thing attacked the city. He brought her back to the shelter after this huge explosion, not a scratch on her." he jock explained. "She could have been killed or worse. I... I never got the chance to thank him."

Shinji just stared down at the older man, now realizing where he had been during his battle with the Third Angel.

Back on the ground, Misato was thinking forcefully as Ginji kissed her.

_God! I get so **hot** whenever he fights like that, whenever he says things like that to me. When we get home I'm gonna ravage him until he can't move!_ She thought as her husband held her tightly.

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The following morning at the Katsuragi/Ikari/Ayanami apartment found Rei and Pen-Pen enjoying their breakfast.

"Are you sure you haven't seen it, Rei-chan?" Shinji asked as he looked frantically around the kitchen.

"I am sure, Shinji-kun." Rei stated calmly from the table.

Just then, Ginji and Misato's door opened up and out walked the pair... dressed in formal military fashion.

"Good morning." Misato said.

"Uh... good morning." Shinji gasped, pausing his search.

Even the bird and the girl stared at the woman with shock, as she was dressed in a black military dress with captains bars on her collar. What was even more amazing was that the man next to her was dressed in a matching black uniform, though it looked more like a modified jumpsuit. Like he was part of a SWAT team.

"You–you both look... formal." Shinji managed to say.

"We're going to old Tokyo on business." Ginji said as Misato moved ahead of him and hugged the boy, and then the hugged Rei, petting Pen-Pen before heading to the door. "Oh, I've taken the liberty of having both of you take today off from school."

"Huh? Why?" Shinji asked.

"In case you're needed."

"Needed? Is there going to be another Angel attack?" Rei asked.

"No. It's just a feeling, but... it never hurts to be prepared." Ginji said as he followed his wife out.

"So don't get into any trouble you two." Misato said in a professional tone. "And if nothing does happen, order out for dinner. See ya!" She said as she put on her shoes and walked out of the apartment with Ginji behind her.

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"Good afternoon and welcome to the celebration of completion of the JA project!" greeted the Jet Alone project director, "We'll now be taking any questions."

"I have some questions." a blond-haired woman said.

"Ah yes, the famous Doctor Ritsuko Akagi." the director acknowledged, "It's an honor to have your presence here today! What do you wish to know?"

Ginji stared at the man. He knew he was being sarcastic and condescending. He had to be, as the delegation from NERV was sitting alone at a table in the middle of the large banquet room. It was just himself, his wife, and Dr Akagi. He didn't like functions like this, but he knew he had to be here when things hit the fan. A part of him, however, felt bad that Shinji and Rei couldn't have come. But Commander Ikari wouldn't have allowed that as he saw no reason for it.

Then again, he saw the point in it. Parading Shinji and Rei around would make NERV look like a proud peacock or something.

"According to our earlier briefing, this unit is equipped with an internal nuclear reactor, is this correct?" Ritsuko asked.

"Of course. Its one of the projects most distinguished features!" He affirmed, "A guaranteed one hundred and fifty days of operations."

"But isn't it risky to put a nuclear reactor in a land based weapon, designed for hand-to-hand combat?" she asked again.

"Its more practical than one that works for only five minutes."

"But in an emergency there could be a problem with the remote control." she said, not mentioning that Unit 01 now had a working S2 Engine at its disposal.

"But its better than to cause a tremendous mental stress in a person."

"Cut it out Ritsu…" Muttered a rather bored Misato, "This only makes you look childish." she looked to the side and noticed the silent agreement written on Ginji's face.

However, Ritsuko ignored her friend. "And there's also the matter of the manual operation."

"A machine that cannot be controlled is absurd… " The director retorted calmly "The JA project is more reliable than a weapon that can lose control at any moment and go berserk, and its obviously mentally unstable pilot, who by the way, is only a child." He said holding up a document with the pictures of Unit-01 and Shinji during the Third Angel's attack. "It's surprising that the UN allows NERV to use a minor for such a dangerous activity, and not to mention the immense amounts of money you're receiving, causing whole countries to starve."

"However, NERV is the only one with a weapon that can defeat the enemy." Ritsuko pointed out.

"That is precisely why the JA Project exists." the director said. "NERV's day in the sun is over."

Ginji's hand twitched. Misato looked over and felt his anger start to rise. She was thinking the same thing, about putting his arrogant blowhard in his place.

It was one thing to insult the Eva's abilities to stop the Angels, which had proven successful, but it was another to bring Shinji into this.

Misato placed her hand on Ginji's, squeezing it to try and keep him calm.

"Do we have any other questions?" the director asked the assembled group.

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Shinji and Rei sat on the couch just watching television. But while Shinji was watching television, Rei was reading a book. However, she was wearing a tanktop and shorts while she read, which made her seem comfortable to the young man. They'd done little other than watch television. Shinji had played his cello a while ago. It seemed to calm his nerves about not being able to find is missing pendant, and Rei was disappointed when he stopped to watch television.

"So, what are you reading, Rei-chan?" Shinji finally asked.

She paused and showed him the cover.

"The History of Rome?" he read the title.

"I find it enjoyable."

"Really. I never thought..." he said, but was suddenly ut off as the phone rang. He stood up and walked over to it, picking it up and putting the receiver to his mouth. "Katsuragi residence."

(Shinji! It's Ginji! Get Rei and report to NERV ASAP!)

"What's wrong? Is there an Angel attack?" the boy gasped.

That caused Rei to jump from the couch and slide up next to him.

(Not an Angel. An out of control trash can!)

"Huh?"

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"Misato, this is lunacy! You can't do this!" Ritsuko protested as the young woman changed out of her black military dress, revealing her white undergarments. Ginji was next to her, changing next to her, totally unconcerned with Ritsuko being there.

"I can't stand by and let nothing happen Ritsuko." Misato said as she opened her special locker and pulled out her RAD-suit. _Especially when I knew this would happen. _

"She's right, Ritsuko." Ginji said as he pulled out his RAD-suit. The blond scientist turned away, blushing at the athletic and naked man before her. "It'll be a disaster if that robot reached the city. Besides, this will only increase NERV's reputation."

"Is that a joke?" Ritsuko asked.

"Just trying to make you understand."

"Well I don't! And why do **both** of you have to go?"

Ginji paused as Misato put a hand on her husbands shoulder.

"She has a point, Ginji-kun. One of us should..."

"No." he said softly as he placed his hand on hers. He turned to look at her. "I swore a long time ago to protect you, Misa-chan, and I'll be damned if I don't try my hardest even now."

"But, Ginji..." she started to say.

"I love you Misato." he said, cutting her off gently. "Till death do us part, remember?" he said, taking her hand and kissing it before finishing putting on his suit.

Misato could only smile at that. "Then I guess we're both going in." she replied as she finished putting on her suit.

Just then, one of the techs arrived.

"Your ride is here, Captain Katsuragi." the young woman said.

"Thanks." she said.

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Aboard the Unit 01 transport carrier, Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami were dressed in their plugsuits while both Ginji and Misato sat across from them in their RAD-suits.

"Alright, the plan is to launch Unit 01 ahead of the JetAlone robot to stop it so that Ginji and I can get onto the robot and get inside to shut it down manually." Misato said.

"But that's dangerous!"

"Don't worry. The Eva is more than capable of surviving a nuclear blast. You'll be totally safe."

"Not for me, for you!" Shinji screamed. "BOTH of you!"

Misato smiled. "I'm aware of the risk's Shinji, but this is the best shot we have at stopping this thing. If we don't thousands of people will die."

Shinji looked down at the ground and sighed. _I wish mother was with me._ He thought.

"Something wrong, Shinji?" Ginji asked.

"I... I couldn't find my pendant this morning." he replied.

Ginji placed his hand on the boys shoulder, causing him to look up. "Listen to me, Shinji. I need you to focus on the job at hand. Everyone's counting on you, since you've got the more difficult job. Once this job is over, we'll help you find your pendant. But remember, just because you're not wearing it now, doesn't mean that she isn't with you."

Shinji looked to the man, wondering what he meant by that.

"Your mother will always be here." he said, pointing to the boys chest.

For some reason, that seemed to calm him a bit.

"I understand. I won't let you down, sir." Shinji replied.

"And what did I tell you about calling me 'sir'?" he grinned.

"Sorry."

"And stop apologizing!"

"So..." he stopped in mid-sentence. "But can you tell me, what's Rei doing here?"

The blue-haired girl turned to look at the boy, as if asking him what he meant by that.

"Not that having you here isn't good, but... well, she doesn't even have her Eva." he explained.

"She's going to help joint-pilot Unit 01." Ginji said.

"Joint-pilot?" Shinji asked in confusion.

"This'll also be good for you to build teamwork skills." Misato said.

Shinji turned to the girl. "I'm willing to try, if you are... partner." he said, holding out his hand to her.

Rei looked at him for a second, before putting her hand in his. "Of course. Partner."

"Sir! Ma'am! We're approaching the target!" Hyuga said from the cockpit.

"Alright, people. Let's do this!" Misato said as Ginji stood up and readied himself.

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The Eva was released from the transport carrier, free falling several hundred meters before slamming hard into the ground. Shinji stood the Eva up and turned to face the advancing robot.

"Alright, Shinji, here it comes." Ginji said, as he stood on the shoulders of the Eva.

(Got it!)

However, the JetAlone's on-board defensive systems came online and instantly recognized the Eva in front of it as a threat. Its arms raised up in an aggressive gesture.

"Oh, great! It's gone into attack mode!" Ginji realized. "Misato! Brace yourself!"

"Oh, come on!" the woman cried out as Ginji sandwiched her between himself and the shoulder pylon of the purple Evangelion.

(Everyone, Hang on!) Shinji cried out as he lunged his Eva forward, their hands grappling with each other in a deadly game of mercy. Unit 01 started to strain, but its robotic adversary was stopped in it's run to the city. (YOU'RE NOT GOING WIN!) He shouted as he pushed on the robot.

JetAlone reeled back as it lashed out with its right arm. Shinji quickly blocked the attack and found himself being pushed back.

(ARGH!) Shinji shouted as he felt the JetAlone's assault through his connection with Eva.

(SHINJI-KUN!) Rei shouted as she wrapped her arms around his body from behind. (You Must Fight Shinji-Kun! Do Not Give Up!)

_For Ginji! For Misato! For REI! I WILL FIGHT! _he mentally shouted as he pushed through the pain of the robots attacks. (YOU...WON'T...BEAT...ME!) He shouted as he thrust forward the controls of his Eva and slammed his fists into the JetAlone's head.

"Careful, Shinji! It's nuclear core is inside it's main body!" Misato shouted.

(Understood!) Shinji radioed back and pressed his attack.

(We Must Remove It's Arms!) Rei shouted to him.

Shinji nodded and lunged forward, grabbing the robots two arms in his fists.

(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!) Shinji shouted with great force as Rei, Ginji and Misato saw that the arms of the JetAlone robot were starting to strain and buckle under his tremendous assault.

A thunderous CRACK! and the arms on both sides were pulled off violently. However, the pull was so violent that Ginji and Misato who were on the purple robot were suddenly jarred off its shoulder.

"MISATO!" Ginji shouted as he dove for his shapely wife.

"GINJI!" Misato shouted as he reached out for her fearless husband.

Ginji caught up to her in two seconds, wrapping his left arm around his wife, twisting around as he pulled out his special magnetic gun that a friend of his had developed. He pulled the trigger and fired a magnetic cable that raced up Eva's body and struck the side of the Prog. Knife housing. The cable yanked and Ginji's arms strained hard, nearly yanked out of their sockets as he struggled to hold both his wife and himself up by the line and off the ground. ('Nearly', mind you. Misato isn't that heavy) He tapped the trigger twice and the gun began reeling both of them back up to the Eva's shoulder.

Within seconds, the pair were back up on the shoulder and noticed that Shinji was going to work on the legs.

"He's doing pretty good." Misato commented.

"Good thing that S2 Engine of his works." Ginji said as he saw the Progressive Knives sprang from their shoulder sheaths and were grabbed by the hands of Unit 01. He then saw the blades fall at a downward angle, right into both JetAlone's legs, severing their servo motors and causing their motor reflexes to grind to a halt.

(Oh, god!) Shinji gasped, breathing hard. (Ginji was right. That was difficult!)

(You won, Shinji-kun.) Rei said to him, her arms still wrapped around him. (You proved that Eva is superior to JetAlone.)

"He did it!" Misato shouted.

"And now it's our turn." Ginji said as he picked his wife up, bridal style, and called to, "SHINJI! We need to get over!"

The boy said nothing as he lifted both of them over with his hand once he had dropped the knife. They entered the robot through the main utility hatch and slid down the chute to where the reactor was. Misato tried to input the password that she had gotten from the still shell-shocked JA Project director, but it didn't work. Their last option was to manually push the rods into the reactor.

That actually succeeded.

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"Everything went well doctor?" asked the grim man from his side of the desk.

"Yes, sir." Akagi replied. "With the exception of the Katsuragi's interference, everything went according to plan."

"The JA Project has been scrapped permanently, NERV has gained wide-spread acclaim as a result of this incident, and our new budget has been approved by the UN." Fuyutsuki stated.

Gendo smiled at that.

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As much as Misato enjoyed being rescued and held tightly by her loving and heroic husband, she mostly enjoyed it when they were snuggling intimately underneath the blankets of their bed.

"What's wrong?" Misato asked Ginji as he held her close.

"Today...when you... fell... I was so worried. I thought I was going to lose you." he said as he nuzzled her face with his own. "That didn't happen last time."

"It doesn't matter." she assured him. "You saved me. You held on and you didn't let go."

He stared deeply into her shining brown eyes. "I'll never let go, Misa-chan. Never." he said as he kissed her passionately.

The fervor that followed echoed from their room and found it's way to Rei's. The blue-haired girl got up from her bed, grabbed her pillow and proceeded to Shinji's room.

"Shinji-kun?" Rei spoke as she entered the young Ikari's room.

"Rei-chan? What's wrong?" Shinji asked as he sat up in his bed.

"They are at it again." she said simply.

"Oh. Alright. Come on." he said as he got out of his bed and went to get the spare futon that was in the closet.

The last time this had happened, Rei had to pull her futon into Shinji's room, since it was farther away from Ginji and Misato's room than her own. This time, Shinji had a spare roll for himself just in case. However, Rei stopped him.

"Shinji-kun?"

"Yeah, Rei?" he paused in front of the closet.

"I am too tired to wait. May we simply share the same bed?"

"Uh..." he blushed. "You... want to?"

"I am very tired." she insisted.

He sighed at that answer. "Alright."

The pair got into bed and Rei found herself snuggling up to Shinji's side for warmth. But she soon found that it was also very comfortable as well.

_I like this. It is quite comfortable_. Rei thought with a smile before drifting off.

Shinji thought the same thing, though he couldn't get to sleep as quickly as herself.

He wasn't even thinking about how his pendant had mysteriously reappeared in his room after they had gotten back from old Tokyo. And he would never know that it was Rei who had taken it, at Ginji's request.

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Author's Notes:

Alright, here's my part 2 of Chapter 8.

When I started writing this chapter, I realized that it was too long between the flashback scene and the JetAlone battle. So I simply cut it in half.

Hope everyone liked both chapters. If anyone has any opinions or comments feel free to post them. Was there too much fan-service? Was the chapter too short? Too Long?

The fight scene at the school between Ginji and the punks was inspired by the garage fight scene in Transporter 2 at the beginning of the movie. And I hope I got that right at least.

Also, the next chapter will feature Asuka and Kaji. I'm warning you, it's going to be a little dark.

And as always, please Review! I really wanna know what you think.


	10. Dark Past pt 1

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

**Chapter 9 – Dark Past - pt. 1**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.

Warning: This chapter takes a very dramatic and aggressive turn, somewhat dark, lots of flashbacks, and I am going to seriously piss off Gendo.

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The party itself was magnificent. The decorations were extravagant. The food was all high-end. And the guests were virtually all A-List.

But in the back of his mind, Ginji Katsuragi was upset.

_I never got a 'thank you' party. _

The 30-year old ex-pilot from another dimension was looking around at all the assembled people who had turned out at the Imperial Palace of the Emperor of Japan, for the sole purpose of thanking the heroic men and women of NERV for averting a gruesome disaster, and much more in their lives.

Ginji and the others had received invitations by personal messenger, and were shocked at this. Not because they didn't think they deserved it, but because they were never really used to being thanked for their good work.

Though it had been cute to see Shinji ask Rei if she wanted to accompany him as his date for this event. Ginji and Misato were more than a little shocked he had actually used those words. But they were more surprised when Rei accepted.

So here they were.

Ginji was dressed in a tie-less black tuxedo while Misato was dressed in a stylish strapless 'little black dress' with a red jacket and flower in her hair that Ginji had picked. Shinji was dressed in a rather nice tannish suit with red tie over a black shirt with polished shoes.

But Rei...

The blue-haired girl was dressed in a blue and black dress that looked positively stunning. The black parts of the dress looked like a 'little black dress' without straps and a black choker with a diamond-shaped leaf on her neck. Over that was a blue see-through 'shirt' that elegantly complimented the rest of the dress. On her ears were a pair of silver leaf earrings.

Shinji's first words at seeing Rei like that were... "You look beautiful, Rei-chan."

The girl had blushed before taking Shinji's offered arm and being lead out by the boy to the event.

When they had arrived, they were escorted to the head table where the emperor himself was waiting to greet them.

Dinner was eaten, speeches, awards and recognition were given, mingling was achieved, handshakes and congratulations were exchanged. Mostly they were for Shinji who had piloted the Eva to stop the JetAlone robot, though Ginji and Misato were given recognition for their heroism as well, it was Shinji who was made out to be the hero. And in a way it made sense, since to be a hero at such a young age meant that he was an exceptional individual, as well as stopping the JA robot which was the important part. That and Ginji wasn't one for fame and recognition, unlike Asuka...

His eye's suddenly went wide as he realized something.

_Asuka. Unit 02._

_Kaji!_

His mind blanked out as his memories forcefully intruded.

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**((FLASHBACK))**

_Tokyo-2 University, 2004..._

It had been four years since Second Impact had devastated the world. From the devastation, the remaining three billion people of the world had risen up to work to rebuild what was left. Old and new names were taken up, including that of Ginji Akaris.

With most of the world's records and archives destroyed, it was fairly easy for people to forge new lives and identities for themselves. But the most radical change, came from the UN.

In an effort to encourage rebuilding and to give people hope and incentive to move forward, the UN accountants and book keepers and such, were given a very specific mandate: The bank accounts of everyone who had died in Second Impact would be divided up evenly amongst those who had lived. Even if they were 'new people', like Ginji Akaris.

Many people didn't like it, saying it was disrespectful to their memory, but with everything that had happened, it was rather quickly accepted. As such, the survivors were not hurting for money.

Ginji and Misato each got quite a hefty sum which provided for all their needs, including housing and education.

This was helpful since Misato seemed... lost. Following Second Impact she had developed Aphasia-the inability to speak. For two whole years she spoke not a word, yet seemed to go through the motions of eating and dressing herself. But when it came to sleeping, she curled up next to Ginji for comfort. The young man didn't object and did his best to console her.

In those two years of silence, Ginji did the talking for her. However, while not good at story telling, Ginji did the only thing he could think of.

He told Misato about his life as Shinji Ikari, pilot of Evangelion Unit 01.

He told her about day he came to Tokyo-3, about the Eva's, his first battle against the Angel, about Rei Ayanami, about Pen-Pen, about Asuka and all the battles and Angels he fought during that horrible year. He told her about the good times, the bad, the pain and suffering, the teasing and abuse he had suffered at the hands of virtually everyone in his old life.

It wasn't the most entertaining or heartwarming of stories. It was the truth. And while not much of a talker, Ginji found himself opening up and talking a lot more than normal. Nevertheless, it helped Misato to understand him better and eventually, after about two years, she came out of her stupor and started talking.

To great excess.

Those two years had brought Ginji and Misato closer. They were boyfriend and girlfriend all through high school and continuing on to college.

It was there that they met Ritsuko Akagi.

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"So you were actually there, during Second Impact?" Ritsuko gasped at the pair sitting across from her. She was also amazed that Misato's father and her mother had known each other.

"Both of us were." Ginji explained.

"The only survivors." Misato smiled at her.

"And you've been together ever since?" the blond asked.

"Yes we have." Ginji said.

The trio were in sitting in the cafeteria in Tokyo-2 University and had just met Ritsuko. After learning that Ritsuko's mother and Misato's father had been old friends, the pair formed a pretty quick friendship themselves. Ginji was naturally part of that, and Ritsuko wondered just how Misato had gotten so lucky finding herself a guy like this.

"I'm going to get some more fruit and chips. You want anything, Misa-chan?" Ginji asked.

"Not right now, hon."

Ginji kissed Misato on the forehead before he turned to Ritsuko.

"Would you like anything?" he asked the woman.

_Oh, I could think of something._ She thought shamelessly. "Uh, no. I'm good." she waved him off.

Ginji walked back to the counter as the pair started chatting.

"So, how long have you been together?" Ritsuko asked, sneaking a glance at a departing Ginji.

"Uh... since Second Impact." Misato repeated.

She blushed as she realized she had been told that already. "Sorry." she smiled, turning her attention back to the young woman who was grinning like a cat.

The pair talked about this and that for a few more minutes when _he_ walked in.

He looked around the cafeteria and his attention caught the sight of a beautiful young purple haired woman talking to another lovely woman with short blond hair.

He grinned as he made his way over to them.

"How is it possible for two lovely young woman to be sitting alone?" he asked, flashing his lady-killer smile. He did this only because he was sure they weren't lesbians. He'd made that mistake once before.

Misato and Ritsuko turned towards the fairly handsome, unshaven man before them. Ritsuko looked intrigued but Misato had a less enthused stare.

"And may I have the honor of knowing your names?" he asked

"I'm Misato Katsuragi and this is Ritsuko Akagi." Misato introduced.

"And you are?" Ritsuko asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the arrival of another individual.

"Couldn't find the cheese chips, but the fruit cups were plentiful." Ginji said as he set down his tray next to Misato's. He turned back to the unshaven man who had just arrived. "Hello."

"Hi." the man said to him.

"Oh, allow me to introduce you. This is Ginji Akaris, my boyfriend." Misato said with a smile. "And this is... you didn't tell us your name, did you?" she grinned sheepishly

"I'm Ryoji Kaji." the unshaven man said, hiding his disappointment.

**((END FLASHBACK))**

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A kiss to his cheek brought Ginji back to reality.

"You okay hon?" Misato asked as she set his drink down and sat next to him.

"I was... just thinking." he said as he took the drink and sipped it.

Misato looked at him. She recognized that tone quite well.

"You were thinking about the past. About him." Misato said as she placed a hand on his arm.

"We're scheduled to fly out to meet Unit 02 and it's pilot. He'll probably be there." Ginji said.

"Then so will you." she said, giving his arm a squeeze, though he didn't miss her upset expression.

Ginji placed a hand over hers and squeezed back.

"Like you could stop me from coming." he smiled back.

"I never have." she said with a suggestive tone, leaning forward to nip at his ear.

"Misato!" he groaned.

"Attention all guests!" the emperor announced through the microphone. "It is now time for tonight's main festivities. All couples please report to the dance floor." he said as the band they had hired for this event started playing.

Ginji looked at Misato. "May I have the honor of dancing with the worlds most beautiful operations director?" he asked, holding his hand out.

"Well, I was hoping to dance with this very cute pilot, but..." she said as she noticed said young pilot holding out his hand to a certain blue-haired young woman, who accepted and was lead out to the dance floor. "I guess you'll do."

Ginji gave her an amused expression as he took her hand and lead her to the floor.

Shinji danced with Rei exclusively, and Ginji danced exclusively with Misato.

It was during the dance that Shinji talked lightly to Rei.

"Is something wrong, Rei-chan?" he asked as he held her.

"I have... never danced before." she replied timidly as she enjoyed his embrace.

"That's alright. Neither have I." he smiled as the girl just nestled into his embrace.

The pair danced while the other people just watched them. Mostly Ginji and Misato.

And they couldn't help but smile.

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The quartet got back to their apartment rather late. Rei and Shinji were fairly tired, and Misato was almost drunk off her ass. Pen-Pen just looked at the woman and shook his head.

"You should get to bed you two, we've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Ginji said.

"Yes, Ginji." Shinji said as he lead Rei to her room.

"And NO fooling around you two!" Misato giggled as she slumped herself against her husband.

Shinji blushed hard at that, Rei didn't, as Ginji ushered the woman towards their room.

"OHHH GOD! I'm Soooo Wasted!" Misato giggled as she struggled to stand up.

"Yes. Fine example of a guardian you are." Ginji smirked at his wife.

"Well then you'd better not try to take advantage of me, buster!" she slurred. "Won't want you to lose _your_ status now do we?"

"Relax, Misa-chan." he whispered. "You know I'd never do that to you, especially like this."

She paused and looked at him for a second. "Even if I wanted _you_ to?" she asked softly.

He looked at her before kissing her on the cheek. "I prefer you sober for that, Misa-chan."

Ginji all but carried his wife into their bedroom and removed his jacket before starting on her own clothes. Her jacket was first, then her shoes and stockings. He set her down on their futon, gently on her back. He carefully pulled the zipper on the side down and peeled the dress from her body. She had neglected to wear a bra for this party, not that anyone had ever, or would ever, say anything. He pulled the dress off her legs and froze as a vivid, disturbing memory once again invaded his thoughts. Misato was still a little dazed, but was focused enough to notice his disturbed daze.

"It wasn't your fault... Shinji." she said as he lifted her hand to softly caress his cheek.

"Then why do I feel so bad about it?" he asked, a single tear streaming down his face.

"Because you're you. That's why I love you, Ginji Katsuragi." she said as she used the last of her strength to sit up, kissed him softly on the lips, and had him remove his shirt and pants before she wrapped her arms around his neck to press her curvy nude form to him.

With her last words, Misato fell unconscious in the mans arms as they hugged her slim body tightly. He sighed as he brought himself and his wife down to the futon, never letting go of each other.

(**MIND-FLASH**)

The time is approaching. You know your part in this, don't you, Ginji?

_I do._

It'll be your best chance to bring this war to a closer end. And that will be better for all.

_Even Gendo?_

He is not the one you should be worrying about.

_You mean SEELE_.

They won't be happy about this. They'll probably blame Gendo for it.

_But I should prepare myself anyway. _

Of course. You've grown up stronger and smarter than I ever dreamed possible. More so than in your old life.

_I never had a reason to be stronger, back then_.

Yes. But you have more than one reason now.

_You mean..._

You know what you have to do. Save this world.

(**END MIND-FLASH**)

_I will save this world. I won't fail._ Ginji thought as he hugged his wife tighter and fell into sleep.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji showered and brushed his teeth then headed for bed. He hadn't been in bed two minutes when his door opened up. He sat up as he noticed Rei enter with her pillow, dressed in a long nightshirt.

"You... want to sleep here again, Rei-chan?" he asked.

"May I?" she asked timidly.

"Uh... sure." he said, getting out of the bed and standing up, offering it to her as he did before.

"With you." she stated, meaning she wanted to sleep in the same bed again.

He blushed, more from embarrassment, though he wasn't sure why.

Rei got in first and Shinji followed, the blue-haired girl snuggling up close to the boy, gently brushing her hand across his chest, his shorts and tank top the only thing he wore to bed.

Shinji felt this and turned towards the girl.

"Rei-chan?" he said softly to her.

"Shinji-kun." she whispered as she moved closer to him. She didn't know what she was doing, but pushed ahead and brushed her lips across his own.

Maybe it was her awakening emotions and teenage hormones. Maybe it was all the affection that Ginji and Misato displayed towards each other in her presence. Maybe it was that Shinji had showed more compassion and concern for her than anyone else her age, actually making an effort to be her friend. Maybe it was because he had taken a bullet for her. Maybe it was because...

She paused her thoughts, finding no answer in them.

For whatever her reason for doing this now, she knew that she did it... of her own free will.

Shinji's cheeks flushed at the intimate contact. He let himself enjoy the feeling of the girl lying so close that their body heat was mingling. His right arm was under Rei as she leaned closer to him, practically lying on his chest as she gently pressed her lips to his own. For several seconds he froze as Rei kissed him. She broke the kiss and pulled back.

Rei looked at Shinji, and felt her heart drop.

_He did not like it._ She thought, noting the glazed look on his face. _Did I do something wrong? Does he not find me attractive? Does he..._

But her musings were cut off as Shinji spoke.

"Rei?" he whispered.

She looked at him again as he gave her a lite smile.

"Yes?" she asked, wondering what it was he was smiling about.

"Can I... kiss you again?" he asked.

Rei blushed a little as she saw Shinji move in and gently press his lips to her own. She felt his left hand caress the side of her face as her whole body grew warmer. His mouth gently moved against her own, lightly sucking lightly rubbing against her lips.

Now, while Shinji really had no experience in how to kiss a girl, he'd had plenty of examples thanks to Ginji and Misato being constantly affectionate in front of both him and Rei. It wasn't as if they were exhibitionists or anything, they were just obviously in love.

Their lips pulled apart from each other, the boy and girl just looking into each others eyes.

_That was... beautiful._ Rei thought as she stared into his eyes.

"Thank you, Rei-chan." he said.

"For what?" she asked, her eyes slightly glazed over as her cheeks were still mildly flushed.

"My first kiss. It was..." he said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Beautiful."

She blushed again, giving him the same gentle smile she gave him after they had defeated the 5th.

"It was mine as well." she said as she snuggled down into his side, her head resting against his shoulder, her arm draped over his chest again as her leg unconsciously rubbed against his.

_He thought as I did_. _That makes me... happy._ She thought as she slowly fell into sleep.

_She looks so peaceful_, he thought as he watched her._ I hope I've made her happy._

Shinji was soon peacefully asleep as well.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji was upset, for the most part.

Not only did he not get to spend the day sleeping next to Rei-chan, maybe kissing more, but he now found himself aboard a MIG-55 D Transport Helicopter heading towards a ship called "Over the Rainbow". And while he didn't really enjoy flying, he didn't know how to swim, so going to a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.

And to make matters worse, Misato had brought Kensuke and Toji along as well.

"OH MY GOD THIS IS SO COOL!!" Kensuke clamored as his video recorder was practically glued to his face. "It's so great to have a friend like you, Shinji!"

"Will ya quit shouting, ya blasted otaku!" Toji cried out next to him, trying to get him to stop hopping around the cabin.

Shinji sat on the right side of the chopper, next to a utility locker. Toji next to him, and Kensuke at the left.

Rei would have been Shinji's first choice, but he'd heard that Dr. Akagi needed to see her for some tests. And to make things worse, Ginji wasn't even here.

His 'father' had needed him for a special assignment, or so Misato said.

He looked over to Kensuke. The military otaku just would not shut up, going on and on about how great it was to have a famous friend like Shinji, and thanking Misato for bringing them along. That and his incessant need to film everything in sight, which included Misato a great deal, even if it was the back of her head.

_I wish I'd brought earplugs._ Shinji mentally groaned.

And Toji, well the jock had been more than a little enthused when he heard Misato mention that this little outing was a 'date' so that they could get out of the mountains where the shelters were.

Misato then noticed Shinji's glum mood.

"Is something wrong, Shinji?" the woman asked.

"Sorry, Misato. I just... I guess I don't really like flying that much." he answered.

"Relax, Shinji. We've in the hands of the best pilots in the world. Right, pilot?" she said, turning to the man flying the chopper.

"That's right, Misa-chan." the pilot said with a grin.

The woman turned towards the pilot and gasped.

"G-Ginji?" she gasped as the trio of boys turned to the man.

The pilot flipped the visor up and turned to smile at the woman.

"You didn't think I'd miss out on this, did you?" Ginji smiled as Misato lunged forward and kissed her husband on the cheek.

"You sneak!" Misato laughed. "You deliberately mislead me by telling me you couldn't come!"

"Had to. The expression on your face when I do that is just priceless." he grinned.

"Why you!" she laughed as she hit him in the arm.

_Ginji's here_. Shinji thought, glad for that at least. _I didn't know he could fly a helicopter. _He was truly amazed at the talents the man displayed. _Now if only Rei-chan was here_.

"Oh, Shinji, do me a favor and open the utility locker next you. I think it's safe to let her out now." Ginji said.

"Huh?" Kensuke and Toji asked in unified confusion.

"Her?" Misato asked, looking as perplexed as Shinji as he opened the back compartment locker that was to his right.

The seat that he, Toji and Kensuke shared was big enough for three people, and to Shinji's right where the seat ended, allowing quick access to a small almost human-sized locker next to him. He opened the locker up as a blue-haired bundle fell out into his arms.

"Rei-chan!" Shinji gasped in shock and elation as the girl pressed herself up against the boy.

"Shinji-kun." Rei smiled softly as she tried to stand, but felt her legs not responding due to her being cramped for so long. She was relieved when Shinji just pulled her into his lap.

Relieved and happy.

"YOU SMUGGLED REI ONTO THE CHOPPER?!!" Misato shrieked at Ginji.

"Of course. I wanted her to get out of NERV and Tokyo-3 once in a while." Ginji stated, glad his helmet was on so that he didn't get his ears damaged.

"But what if the commander finds out about this?" she asked him.

"Can't do much about that now. Look." the man said as he pointed out the window.

Kensuke was instantly all over this.

"WOW!" exclaimed the otaku, angling his camera out the window. "One...two...three...four...five aircraft carriers, four battleships, and six destroyers!"

"And there's our destination." Ginji said. "The Pre-Impact super carrier 'Over the Rainbow'."

Toji could only glare at the 'crusty old relic' as Misato called it, that was their destination, while Kensuke continued to film.

Shinji however wasn't paying attention as he had Rei sitting comfortably in his lap. She didn't mind, in fact she found it satisfying, as she was used to sleeping next to the boy. She hugged him around his neck, rather tightly, as her chest was pressed against his.

"Are you alright, Rei-chan?" he asked.

"I am... afraid of flying." she whispered to him.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. "Don't worry. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"And what do we have here?" Kensuke asked as he aimed his camera at the couple.

"That camera shoved down your throat if you don't stop taping them, Mr Aida." Ginji growled from the front seat as he started the landing procedure.

"Huh? How did..." Kensuke gasped as he turned his camera away from the two pilots, wondering how he knew he was taping them if Ginji wasn't looking at the boy.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Oh! Cool! Awesome! Incredible! Totally Fantastic!"

Ginji shook his head as he noticed Kensuke going full-tilt camera-shooting-everything that the old carrier had to offer. His only hope was that the boy would pass out from sheer excitement.

He changed out of his flight suit, wearing his black shirt and jeans underneath, replacing it with his gun holsters, his modified Desert Eagles, spare clips, Matilda, and threw his trenchcoat over his shoulders to complete the effect. He pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

_Haven't changed much, have you old girl?_ Ginji thought to the aircraft carrier that had been his temporary home right after Second Impact. To be honest he was surprised it had lasted this long.

Kensuke practically jumped out of the helicopter before Ginji had even landed, but had been restrained by Toji. He saw Shinji gently help Rei out of the copter. While Shinji was dressed in his usual white button-up shirt and black pants, Rei was more simply attired in her blue summer dress over a white short-sleeved shirt. She wore a pair of black biker shorts underneath her skirt, which the wind picked up from time to time. Ginji knew that it was a necessity and insisted that she wear it. He'd finished dressing as Misato was getting out of the copter.

"Need a hand, my lady?" he asked as he held out his arm to her.

Misato smiled and accepted it.

"Why thank you, kind sir." she giggled as she stepped down from the copter. "And here I thought Shinji was the only gentleman around." she joked.

"Speaking of which. Shinji!" Ginji cried out to the boy.

"Yes, Ginji?" the Third Child asked as he and Rei headed over to the older man.

"Misato, can you take Rei? I need to talk to Shinji about something." he said to his wife.

"Sure thing. Come on Rei." the purple-haired woman nodded and moved over to the girl.

"I wish to stay with Shinji-kun." the girl said, making Shinji smile.

"Don't worry, Rei. It's just a little guy-talk." Misato said as she ushered the reluctant girl to the side.

"What is it Ginji?" the boy asked once the female pair were out of earshot.

"Just a few things I thought you should know." the man in black said.

Off to the side, Kensuke was video taping everything while Toji was talking to Misato and Rei.

"Hey, what are they talking about?" the jock asked the female Captain while he held onto his hat.

"Knowing Ginji, it's probably something important." Misato said as she saw Ginji give Shinji a small backpack that contained what she thought it did. To be honest, she knew what this little conversation was about.

After a few minutes, the pair rejoined their friends.

Rei went to Shinji and asked if he was alright. Shinji nodded and offered his arm to the girl, who accepted it. Misato moved up to Ginji who threw his arm around the slim woman's waist.

"So, you told him?" Misato asked.

"I did." Ginji replied. "The rest is up to him now."

Toji's hat suddenly blew off his heat, the jock immediately running after it in a panicked fashion.

Ginji just shook his head at this. _Guess he's never been on a ship before. Much less an aircraft carrier. This place is like a wind tunnel. _

He then noticed that Toji's hat had stopped trying to get away from him, planted securely under the foot of a young attractive redhead.

_And so it begins. _

Dragging Kensuke along the two couples approached the jock, who was trying to remove his precious hat from beneath the heel of the redhead wearing a yellow sundress.

"Hello, Misato. How have you been?" the girl asked.

"Fine, how about you?" asked Misato with a smile. "I see you've grown a bit."

"And I'm not just taller, you know. My figures filled out as well." the redhead said, thrusting out her chest to emphasis this fact.

_Definitely has not changed._ Ginji thought as his thoughts drifted back to when he and Misato were living in Germany.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_**(FLASHBACK)**_

_NERV Germany, January 2014..._

Ginji was alternating kicks between the heavy bag. He was dressed in a black sweat-soaked tank top and a dark grey sweat pants. His fists, feet and legs wrapped in thick bandage-like material.

His workout was drawing the attention of several people, the majority of them female, including one Asuka Langley Sohryu.

She had been watching him for a couple minutes and didn't seem too interested, until he leaped into the air and threw a kick so hard that it broke the chain and sent the heavy bag into the corner.

That's what got Asuka's attention.

_Whoa! That was... he's incredible!_ She gasped.

He turned around and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. The girl flushed as she noticed his handsome and strong features. He was clearly Japanese, but there was an slight effeminate quality to him, that bordered on angelic. This was balanced out by the strength in his eyes, a small pain that she nearly missed, or often ignored.

Ginji grabbed his towel and walked out of the gym, Asuka keeping her eyes trained on him.

She had to know who this guy was.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ginji was eating lunch in the cafeteria when Asuka walked up.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

Ginji looked up and noticed the young teenage girl.

_Asuka_. He realized, though there was something different about her. She was smiling at him. "Uh, if you want." he said.

What followed was Asuka joining him and all but feeling him up with her legs.

_She's flirting with me._ He noticed.

While a small part of him was actually enjoying that, another part realized that it was because he had changed considerably. He knew that Asuka liked strong guys, and his seven years in the military after college had done wonders for him in that respect. He wasn't the scrawny 14 year old boy he was when they had first met, on the 'Over the Rainbow' carrier. And if not for his physical prowess alone than his strength of character had really caught the redhead's attention.

"So you were how young when you were chosen to be a pilot?" Ginji asked.

"About four years old. It was the happiest day of my life. They told me I was an elite pilot. The best of the best." she stated proudly.

_No wonder she has such a big ego. _

Just then, Misato walked in.

"Hey, hon. Sorry I'm late. You wouldn't believe the line at the registry office, and just to get a simple apartment." Misato said as she set the paperwork down on the table. She leaned over and kissed Ginji on the cheek, which made Asuka frown a little.

_Who's this slut?_ Asuka wondered as Misato sat down across from her.

"Oh, and who's this? I didn't know you liked 'em that young, Ginji-kun." Misato said.

"This is Asuka, pilot of Unit 02. Asuka, this is Misato, my wife." Ginji introduced.

"W-wife?" the redhead gasped.

"Yup. Wife." the woman repeated, flashing her ring at the girl. "You're Unit 02's pilot, huh?"

"Yes I am. And what do you do?" she challenged.

"Director of Operations, NERV Headquarters, Tokyo-3 Japan, starting next year." she said, holding up her new badge to the girl.

"So you got it. Congratulations, Misa-chan." Ginji smiled.

"Thanks." she smiled back.

"Director of... you mean I'm gonna be taking orders from you?" Asuka asked.

_Oh, boy._ Ginji thought.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misato asked, feeling a touch insulted by this girl.

"Well, I don't know you that well. How can I trust that you're competent enough?" she smirked.

"Why don't you join us for dinner tonight and find out?" the woman grinned.

_Oh, Misato. You just played right into her hands_. Ginji rolled his eyes.

_Thanks you, Misato, that's just want I wanted to hear_. Asuka smirked. "Then I'll be over at six." she said before getting up and winking at Ginji before she left.

"Did she just wink at you?" Misato asked.

"Yes. And if you noticed, I didn't wink back." Ginji replied.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The rest of the year was rather eventful. Asuka kept flirting with Ginji. Misato and Asuka bickered from time to time, yet had become good friends regardless. The Katsuragi's had become Asuka's unofficial guardians, as she hung out with them a lot. More from the fact she wanted to be near Ginji.

In that year Ginji and Misato taught Asuka everything they could regarding shooting and combat, even to the point of helping her train in Eva. Though her ego kept getting in the way a lot, she still proved to be a fairly good pupil, not wanting to upset or disappoint Ginji. The older man himself also tried to help Asuka learn Japanese kanji as well as teach her humility and respect for other people, even those she had never met before.

In that respect Asuka proved to be difficult, and Misato's behavior didn't help much, mostly because Asuka didn't understand why she should be nicer to people who hadn't earned her respect.

It was Christmas when Ginji and Misato left for Tokyo-3. Their departure was rather emotional, especially for Asuka.

"But why do you have to leave?" Asuka practically whined as she stood at the base airfield.

"Because it's what the commander wanted." Misato said with an even smile.

"We will see you again, Asuka." Ginji said as the girl threw herself into hugging the man.

He hugged her back tightly before eventually getting on the plane with Misato.

The girl waved at the couple who had been like a family to her in their stay, watching them get on their plane and taking off in minutes. Once gone, Asuka was approached by two men.

"Asuka, I'd like you to meet your new guardian for when you travel to Tokyo-3 in a few months." the base commander said as the girl turned around and looked at the handsome, yet unshaven man.

"Hello, my name is Ryoji Kaji."

_**(END FLASHBACK)**_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_Oh, how bad can this go?_ Ginji wondered as Toji was trying to remove his precious hat from under the foot of the redheaded girl while Kensuke just filmed his friends feeble attempts. Shinji, with Rei on his arm, were trying not to stare, and Misato had her eyes locked on Asuka. _It's like an accident. You know it's going to happen, but you can't make yourself look away._

"And how have you been, Ginji-kun?" Asuka asked with a smile. "Still married?"

"Yes, Asuka. That hasn't changed." Ginji smiled back at the girl.

"Too bad, I guess." she said with a mild huff.

Misato was undeterred by this. "Everyone, allow me to introduce you to the designated pilot of Unit 02, the Second Child: Asuka Langley Sohryu."

At the same time this was said, the wind suddenly surged and blew her dress up, with Toji having a front row seat for the world's closest panty-shot.

A loud shriek was heard, followed by two slaps to the jock and the otaku. Asuka would have landed a third one on Shinji, only to have it blocked by Rei's left hand.

Even Ginji was a little shocked by that.

"Huh?" Asuka gasped.

"Would he not have had to look to deserve a slap?" Rei said calmly to the redhead.

"What the... who the heck are you?" Asuka asked as she pulled her hand back.

"This is Rei Ayanami, designated pilot of Unit 00." Ginji introduced.

"Unit 00? So she's..."

"The First Child." he replied.

Asuka looked at the blue-haired girl for a couple seconds.

"I didn't know the commander allowed porcelain dolls to pilot Eva's." she said.

"Rei is not a doll!" Shinji spoke up fiercely.

Asuka turned to face the boy, only now noticing Rei had her right arm around the boys left. Actually, it looked as if she was holding him back.

"Oh, and who are you?" Asuka asked.

"Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, pilot of Unit 01." he stated confidently.

However, before Asuka had a chance to respond, Toji spoke up.

"What did you do that for?" screamed Toji, who still had a red hand print on his face.

Asuka just glared at the jock, the hat still under her foot, hands still on her hips. "That's the viewing fee. Quite a bargain, don't you think?" said Asuka.

Shinji had been warned by Ginji that something like this might happen, and quickly covered Rei's eyes as he turned away. Ginji did the same to Misato.

"Viewing fee, huh?" Toji scowled as he undid his belt. "No problem. Here's your change!"

The pants dropped, Misato and Rei's eyes were shielded, there was a piercing scream, then what sounded like a fist connecting with someone's face, and a low moan as Toji laid on the ground.

No surprise Kensuke was taping the entire affair.

_Toji, Toji, Toji. Hikari is **so** going to own your ass._ Kensuke grinned, then stopped and turned away, realizing that he didn't want to sully his camera with Toji's naughty bits.

With the jock taken care of Asuka turned her attention to Shinji, looking him up and down and then frowning a bit.

"Not much to look at." she said.

"Shinji's a lot more than he appears to be." Misato stated.

"Is that so?" she said, still looking unimpressed.

"Shinji-kun is responsible for defeating the last three Angels, the JetAlone robot, and injured himself saving my life as well." the albino said, referring to the bullet he'd taken from the kidnappers.

Ginji said it was only a graze, but the wound hadn't stopped bleeding until Rei had bandaged it up.

"And his synch ratio was well over 60 in his first battle, with no prior training or experience to speak of." Ginji added of Shinji's skills.

Asuka was stunned at that little résumé, but kept up her defiant nature.

"You can't be serious! Sounds like he enjoys showing off." she retorted.

"Something I'm sure you're familiar with." Shinji stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Asuka spat.

"This place is wind central and you're wearing a dress that can be easily flipped up with even a small gust of wind to show your panties." Shinji explained, not looking at her dress but her eyes.

"Oh? And what about your little girlfriend, she's wearing..." the redhead started to say, but stopped when a gust of wind blew Rei's skirt up, revealing her biker shorts underneath.

"Something more appropriate for windy areas." Ginji said.

Asuka then noticed something hanging around Shinji's neck.

"What's this?" she asked as she reached for his pendant.

Shinji's eyes flashed as his hand snaked out and caught the redhead's wrist.

"Hey!" she gasped at his unexpected quickness.

"Don't touch that!" he growled.

Asuka gasped as she pulled her slightly sore wrist back. "Jeez, what is it, a gift from your mommy?"

"Yes, actually." he said as he stuffed the pendant down his shirt.

Asuka noticed that he had a pained look as he said that, as well as Rei pulling closer to him as if to offer comfort. Shinji looked back at her and touched her hand gently, thanking her for that.

"Well, now that everyone's acquainted, we should check in with the captain." Ginji said, breaking the tension as Misato ushered Asuka away while he fell in with the others.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Captain of the ship looked at Misato's ID -- which he was having a hard time accepting that this woman was the Operations Director for NERV -- before he spoke to them.

"Hmm From your antics on the main deck I am to assume that you are the leader of this troop of boy scouts?" the older man said.

"I have responsibility, yes. And thank you for your understanding, Captain," Misato said as she hid her sarcasm and tried to sound professional.

"Oh no," said the Captain, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. "I should thank you for giving me the opportunity to baby-sit even more kids after such a long time."

Ginji just sighed at the pissing contest, hoping that it was lost on the children. He noticed that Toji was nursing his black eye while glaring at Asuka with his good one, Rei still kept her arm around Shinji's, Kensuke was 'covertly' taping the bridge, and Asuka just had a proud expression on her face like they were talking about her.

To be honest, Ginji was impressed that Misato hadn't made a cutting remark as yet. He figured she was keeping her cool because of the kids.

"Well, thank you for your assistance in the marine transport of Unit 02." Misato said determined to maintain her professional attitude, though she felt a strong desire to punch this blowhard out, she kept her cool for the sake of the kids. Opening a folder, she pulled out several documents. "Here are the specifications for the emergency power supply socket."

Ginji was looking around the bridge and staring outside the windows. He had lost track of time for when the Sixth Angel was going to arrive, what with Asuka's shenanigans on the deck. _It'll be soon_, he thought. _I wonder if Shinji is aware of what's going on?_

_The emergency power supply socket?_ Shinji gasped. _But why would we need that here? Are we going to use Unit 02? Is that why Ginji was worried when he gave me..._ but his musing was cut off by the Captain's voice.

"First off, I'd never approve any request to activate that toy at sea!" said the Captain.

"Consider it being prepared for any emergency." Misato exclaimed, her eyes starting to betray her professionalism.

"The sea is our jurisdiction and I'm not going to authorize the activation of that child's plaything, for any reason."

"Then you're prepared to defend us if an Angel does attack?" Ginji said, throwing his two cents into the mix. "Because unless you've got a few dozen N2 Mines aboard this thing, you're going to be as successful as the militaries air and ground forces."

"And you are?" asked the Captain who was glaring at the man.

"Ginji Katsuragi, guardian of the only person here who has taken out three Angels after the militaries failure to take out one. May I ask how many you've killed, captain?"

The Captain wasn't liking what he was insinuating. "Are you suggesting that we're useless...boy?" he asked, not even trying to hide his contempt for the situation.

Ginji sighed as he removed his sunglasses, flashing his eyes at the aged captain and his assistant, which made the young officer jump a bit. "You know the old saying, captain. 'Never bring a knife to a gunfight.' Though to be honest it would be more a case of bringing a handgun to a tank battle. And you've obviously never seen one of these things up close otherwise you wouldn't be so hardheaded cynical regarding the might of your precious Naval force. The UN's most powerful weapons have proven ineffective against the Angels time and again, so unless you have a better track record, I'd suggest you stop arguing with my wife, bury your damn pride and start acting like a man of your age and rank!" he said with obvious disdain and venom.

The whole bridge was silent as they stared at the man. Misato was the only one not stunned by this. The man witnessed Second Impact first hand, so staring down a veteran naval officer was nothing.

"Man he's so cool." Toji whispered as Shinji and Rei were just as proud for having this man as their guardian, and Misato for being able to sleep with this man.

"Well that was impressive." a new voice said as everyone turned around to see a man in a dress outfit: light blue shirt, red tie, dark pants, and stubble on his chin.

"KA-" Asuka started to say, only to be cut off by a deafening gunshot.

The bullet exploded out of the black Desert Eagle, flying an inch past Kaji's left ear and slamming hard into the steel wall behind him leaving a fairly good-sized hole.

Everyone just stared in shock, with the exception of Misato.

"Still mad I see." Kaji chuckled.

Ginji glared as he cocked the hammer again, which Kaji took as a cue to depart.

Everyone was stunned.

"What... What The Heck Was That About?" Asuka shouted.

"It's personal." Ginji said as he reholstered the gun.

Toji and Kensuke were still drop-jaw silent, Shinji had grabbed on to Rei the second the bullet fired and pulled her to the side, and the Navy captain himself was whimpering at the bullet hole that now decorated his ship. It was Misato who broke the silence.

"So, should we get some lunch?" Misato said.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

_Wonder what that was all about?_ Shinji wondered as the group rode down in the small elevator.

Kensuke was constantly bugging Ginji about letting him hold his Desert Eagle, which the older man continuously refused. Toji was still staring at both Ginji and Misato, the man in admiration and the woman in lust. Rei was pressed against Shinji, arms wrapped around his neck while his arms were wrapped around her waist. Her mind was less curious as to why Ginji had fired on that unshaven man. Shinji was more curious, as he knew that Ginji would never do something like that without reason.

And Asuka... Asuka was just upset.

"You'd better watch your hands, stooge!" the redhead glared at the jock.

"Oh, what are you gonna do? Punch me again?" Toji retorted.

"Is that an offer?" she shot back.

"There's not enough room in here, Asuka." Misato said as she was pressed against her husband.

"Somehow I don't think that would stop her." Ginji replied.

"Guess not." Misato said as she suddenly felt something hard press against her. "Ginji, is that you?"

"You wish." he said as he nuzzled her face, whispering something to her that shocked her briefly.

_Why would he need Matilda? Oh boy._ She thought as she turned to him again. "I'm a little surprised you missed." she said.

"I didn't miss." he replied.

"You didn't?" she looked him, confused. "But I thought you..."

"I do, Misato. But there is a reason, trust me."

"I do trust you, Ginji-kun." she said as she pressed her face to his.

Their delicate moment was cut off as Asuka suddenly cried out. "HEY! Don't Touch Me!"

"I can't help it!" Toji and Kensuke both answered.

Shinji had spun Rei around to the back of the elevator, using his back to protect the girl from the hard shoving the redhead was giving the pair. Rei however enjoyed being pressed against the boy.

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After their elevator squabble, the group sat down to a small meal in the mess hall while the broadcast system made the usual announcements. Ginji and Misato sat on one side of the table with Shinji and Rei parallel to them. Asuka, Toji and Kensuke were opposite them.

While this was going on, Ginji remembered the old conversations that went on in his world last time.

"_So, do you have a boyfriend yet?" Kaji asked._

"_I don't think that's any of your business." said Misato._

"_How can you be so mean?" asked Kaji, leaning back in his chair as he turned back to Shinji. "So, I understand you're living with Katsuragi, now." asked Kaji._

"_Uh, that's right." Shinji said._

_Kaji smiled. "So tell me, is she still so wild in bed?"_

He remembered the entire group freezing in shock, Misato horribly embarrassed at that. Though if Kaji were to have asked him that now, the answer would have been yes.

_Not possible now I guess._ Ginji smirked as he drank his tea. He then noticed Asuka was glaring at him. "Something wrong, Asuka?"

"You still haven't answered me." the redhead said. "Why did you shoot at Kaji?"

Ginji looked impassive at the girl. Misato gripped his hand, an act that Shinji noticed.

"It's nothing you'd understand, Asuka." Misato answered.

"Well, you seem to know a lot about this, Misato. Care to fill us in?" she challenged.

"You don't need to know, Asuka." Ginji replied. "And I'd rather not talk about it now."

"Not good enough, Ginji!" Asuka shouted, rising up and slamming her hands on the table. "You wouldn't have shot at him without a damn good reason, and in front of all of us too. I think we've earned an explanation!"

The group looked at Asuka, knowing full well that she wouldn't relent in this until she was satisfied with an appropriate answer. Before Ginji could answer, Misato spoke.

"Kaji raped me in college." she said.

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Authors Notes:

When I originally wrote this chapter, it ended up being nearly 50 pages long.

Since I figured that was too much, I decided to break it into two chapters like I did chapter 8.


	11. Dark Past pt 2

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

**Chapter 9 – Dark Past - pt. 2**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.

Warning: This chapter takes a very dramatic and aggressive turn, somewhat dark, lots of flashbacks, and I am going to seriously piss off Gendo.

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_**(FLASHBACK)**_

_Tokyo-2 University, 2005..._

For nearly a year now Ginji, Misato, Ritsuko and Kaji had been quite the circle of friends. They all got along well enough, but it was Ginji and Misato who were the happiest. It was something that both Ritsuko and Kaji envied about them.

Ritsuko envied the attention and affection that Ginji practically showered Misato with, and Kaji envied Ginji's almost pure honest relationship with Misato.

Ritsuko was Misato's best friend, and Ginji and Kaji were slightly less than that. They'd pal around, play ball, and watch movies whenever the girls were out with each other. And Kaji was always trying to get Ginji to come to one of his parties, where he guaranteed a bevy of beauties and lots of beer. Naturally, Ginji declined, only because he had Misato, and she drank enough beer for both of them.

However, everything changed one night in June when Ginji came to the library to study.

"Hey, Ritsuko, what's up?" Ginji asked as he approached the blond woman.

"Where's Misato? I thought you two were joined at the hip." Ritsuko giggled.

"Haven't seen her since lunch. I was hoping to talk to her tonight about something."

"Oh? Anything... important?" she grinned.

"You know me too well, dear lady." he said as he pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to her.

"Ginji, it's beautiful!" Ritsuko gushed. "Misato will love it!"

"I hope so." he said as he put it back in his pocket. "I just wish I knew where Misato was right now."

"Maybe she's at Kaji's party. You know he has a lot of them."

"Hmm. Thanks, Ritsuko. I'll see you later." he said as he ran out.

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(Omega Fraternity House)

"I really need to get back home, Kaji." Misato said with slurred speech, wobbling around from so much drinking as the party around her continued.

"I've never met a woman who could out-drink three seniors." Kaji said as he tried to steady her. "You're in no condition to even walk home, Misato. Here, let me help you into one of the rooms to rest up. No one will disturb you there."

"Thanks, Kaji. You're such a... nice..." even though Misato was drunk, she could still feel that something was wrong as she heard the door to the room close and lock. "Ka-Kaji, what are you..."

"Don't fight this, Misato. You know you want it." he said as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Kaji... stop... I'm..." she said, breaking the kiss and trying to get out of Kaji's grip.

"I've seen you looking at me. I know you want me." he said as he pushed her back down to the bed.

"You're drunk... and.. I've got a boyfriend." she said weakly.

"Ginji will never know." he whispered as he started to undress the woman.

"I don't... how... where is...what did you do..." she gasped as her body refused to fight back.

"The alcohol you drank had a harmless sedative, like a date rape drug when mixed with alcohol and not water." he said as he undressed himself.

"Nooo...stop.." Misato groaned weakly as she felt the unwanted violation.

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Ginji arrived at the Omega Fraternity House as the party was still going.

"Man, Kaji. You live a charmed life." Ginji said as he headed into the fraternity.

All around there were couples laughing, drinking and making out. The only thing was, no Kaji and no Misato.

_Something's wrong._

Ginji looked around and bolted up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. All the rooms were either open or ajar, except for one.

_Please let me be wrong_. Ginji thought as tried the door knob, but found it locked. Grinding his teeth Ginji threw foot forward and nearly broke the door off it's hinges. Bolting inside he froze at the scene before him.

Kaji, atop Misato, both virtually naked, and Misato with tears in her eyes as she pushed against Kaji.

"Ginji! Help me!" Misato wept as she saw him.

"I...I can explain." Kaji gasped as he quickly got off Misato.

"Don't... Wanna... HEAR IT!" Ginji roared, his anger soaring like a rocket.

As Shinji Ikari he had been abandoned, used and suffered greatly. Yet they were all physical pains. As Ginji Akaris he now experienced something worse. A feeling of... betrayal.

Ginji leaped at the person he considered his friend, thrusting both feet into his chest which launched the unshaven young man against the back wall. As soon as Ginji had struck Kaji in the chest, he had spun around in mid-air, a move that shocked even him, his hands catching himself as he came down to the floor. He sprang back up to a standing position and stormed over to Kaji, gripping his shirt and pulling him to his feet.

"Why Did You Do This?!" Ginji shouted as he tossed Kaji across the room into the door, the impact causing it to slam shut.

Kaji was still standing up, trying to balance himself as Ginji was on him.

"I TRUSTED YOU!"

Ginji punched Kaji hard in the face, the stomach, the chest, face, chest, face, stomach, face, face, face, stomach, chest and face with a backhand strike that tossed Kaji to the side.

Kaji tried to speak, trying to get Ginji to listen, and part of him wondered why he should.

"MISATO TRUSTED YOU!"

A forward kick to Kaji's gut pushed him back, as Ginji pressed forward and kicked him again, then swung his foot across Kaji's knee, dropping him hard to the floor.

"HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US LIKE THIS?!"

A fierce uppercut rocketed the unshaven man off the floor and landed him by the bed. Ginji wasted not a second and grabbed Kaji by his already ripped shirt, pulled him to his feet, and flipped him over his shoulder towards the door. The door shattered as the man went flying into the hallway, where he lay unconscious among the shattered wood fragments.

As Berserker Ginji fell into remission, Ginji Akaris made a call on his cellphone before wrapping Misato up in a blanket and carried her back to their apartment.

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"How could you go so wrong?" Ritsuko asked as she sat across the table from very bruised Kaji, who was in handcuffs in a police interrogation room. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't really thinking. I was..."

"You don't get it do you Kaji!" Ritsuko spat. "Do you know what you've done? Do you know what you've taken from them?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Misato's innocence!" she shouted before calmly continuing. "Misato told me once that she wanted Ginji to be her first, because she loves and trusts him. You've taken that from them Kaji, both of them! It may seem small, but it was theirs."

Kaji now felt worse than before. _I didn't know they hadn't... Misato didn't feel like... unless Second Impact did more than give her Aphasia. Not like Ginji would ever talk about stuff like that. I was temporarily insane, drunk and horny for Misato, and all that is no excuse._ "I know it was wrong and there isn't any way to make up for what I've done."

"No kidding." Ritsuko said as she lit up a cigarette in front of him.

"You smoke? Since when?" he looked astonished.

"Since Now!" the blond woman spat again as she inhaled.

_Great, I just caused another friend trouble._ "So... how are they?"

"Two hours after your misdeed and now you ask. That's a record." she scoffed.

"I deserve that."

"And more. Ginji only stopped by to file the police report. He has no interest in hearing your side of things. I'm not sure I do either." she spat.

"Something else I deserve." he said, face lowered.

"I only came by to check on you. Figured someone should do it." she said as she stood up from her hair. "I have to get going."

"Ritsuko." he called to her.

"What?" she asked, as she knocked on the door to alert the guard she was done.

"I know what I did was wrong, and I have no right to ask for forgiveness. But if you could, please tell them that I will try to make up for what I've done. Someday."

"Considering what you've done, Kaji, it's gonna have to be HUGH!" she said as she exited the room.

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Misato couldn't stop crying as she was comforted by both her best friend and boyfriend. Ginji had taken her back to the apartment where Ritsuko was waiting for them. For the next hour Ritsuko did her best to console her friend over the events of what happened. Ginji had gone back to the Omega House after calling the cops about this incident. He went to the station with the police as they took Kaji away simply to file the report. He'd then returned to the apartment to be with Misato as Ritsuko volunteered to go down to the station to talk to Kaji.

There was little Ginji could say to make Misato feel better, so he just let her cry as he held her. In most cases, something like this would have been inappropriate, yet Misato was the one clinging to Ginji as if her life depended on it.

Ginji on the other hand, wasn't sure this was right. His girl had been violated by his best friend, and he hadn't been there to prevent it. In the back of his mind, he felt stupid and responsible. He knew that Kaji and Misato had been intimate in college, and that Misato was the only woman Kaji had ever been seriously interested in. His very presence had interfered with that relationship, and what had followed was a result of that interference.

As such he didn't think it was right for him to be here now. But Misato wouldn't let him go.

"I'm so sorry Misato." he whispered to her after her crying had died down.

"For what?" the young woman asked, curled up in bed with her guy.

"I swore to protect you. I made a promise. And I couldn't keep it." he answered.

"You can't protect me every second of the day, Ginji-kun. I just have to get stronger." she sighed. "Maybe I should give up drinking."

"Either that, or you need to drink a whole lot less." he suggested.

He suggested that only because he knew Misato wouldn't go cold-turkey in one night, even after such an experience as she had been through. Heck, in some cases, a person would drink more.

"Moderation, huh?" she considered that.

"It would be better than me being glued to your hip all the time." he said, joking a bit.

"That... doesn't sound so bad." she said as she snuggled into his chest tighter.

"Misato... maybe I should ..." he said as he tried to sit up to leave and let her get some rest.

"No! Don't go. Please... just stay with me." she hugged him tighter, almost pleading with him like a scared little child.

Ginji wrapped his arms around her and tightened his hold. "I'll never leave you, Misato."

"I know, Ginji-kun." she leaned up and kissed his cheek gently. "I know."

A couple hours later Misato broke the silence, her spirit revitalized in Ginji's arms.

"Ginji-kun, how did you know I was at Kaji's party?" she asked.

"Ritsuko thought you might be there. So I went looking for you." he replied.

"Kind of a longshot. But why? What was so important that you had to find me?"

He paused for a few seconds, before pulling the box out of his pocket. "This." he said, opening the box to reveal a beautiful finely polished white-gold band with a 24-carat diamond in the center.

"Ginji!" she gasped as she saw the ring.

"I was planning to give this to you under... better circumstances." he said sadly.

"You... you're serious! You mean... you really love me enough ... you want to marry me?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

_Even if what happened to you was my fault..._ "Yes, Misato. I love you. And I do want to marry you. If you'll have me."

She paused for a few seconds to collect her thoughts as tears of happiness fell down onto the bed. "Yes." she said, hugging him tightly. "Yes!" she cried and hugged with all her might.

Ginji then pushed her back, allowing enough room to slip the ring on her finger with ease. He kissed her softly before she whispered a request in his ear he could not deny.

That precious symbol of his love became the only thing she wore for the next week as the pair remained at their apartment making love to each other. And it was love, not sex.

Misato needed it in order to purge what happened to her at Kaji's party from her mind. The pair made love for hours, stopping only to sleep, eat and use the toilet. They went without clothes for five days straight, rarely leaving the bed for anything.

They used their time to experiment with different techniques and positions. Some of them kinky ones that Misato wanted to try with her guy.

Nothing was forbidden, no area off-limit, the pair immersed in love and trust, born on the day Misato had been raped and proposed to.

Ironically it had turned out to be simultaneously the worst and best day of her life.

_**(END FLASHBACK)**_

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Asuka was in a classic state of denial about Kaji, though it wasn't something people normally talked about openly. Toji and Kensuke were fuming mad. At least Toji was, since Kensuke was easily distracted by taping the ship. Shinji and Rei had new sympathy for the woman. And Ginji just held his wife as they descended the escalator of the ship. No one questioned why the carrier even had one.

Misato for the most part didn't enjoy that particular memory and needed the solace of her husband to make it less of a mental burden. Over the years it had gotten easier to deal with, but it was still something she would rather avoid like the plague.

The group said nothing, until Asuka spoke up.

"Hey, Third Child!"

Shinji just glared in synch with Rei at the redhead.

"Yes?" he answered.

"Come with me. I want to show you something."

"I will come as well." Rei said.

"I invited the Third, not you doll girl."

"Rei goes, or I stay." Shinji said firmly.

Asuka fumed. "Fine."

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Ginji had told Shinji about Asuka's red, four-eyed Evangelion. Still, the boy was impressed.

"I didn't know it was red." Shinji said, feigning ignorance, as both he and Rei stared at the gigantic crimson behemoth.

"The color isn't the only difference," she said. They went into the holding tank.

"How so?" he asked, knowing the difference already.

"Units 00 and 01 were created as part of the development process. The prototype and test type respectively. The fact that it synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of that."

Shinji just glared at her, as if she needed a reality check.

"Untrained, yet I'm 3-and-0 against them. How many have you killed?" Shinji asked.

Asuka growled. "You just got to them first, Third Child. Pure luck. But my Eva was created for actual combat conditions. It's the worlds first _true_ Evangelion!"

Shinji and Rei just looked at each other before looking back at Asuka. A simultaneous action that made the girl flinch. She had hoped to make Shinji feel inadequate by showing him her Evangelion. She was still upset at how this unimpressive boy had killed three Angels on his own.

"This is the final model!" she stated proudly.

"Then why was it not mobilized sooner to combat the Angels?" Rei asked. "If it is the better model would it's activation not have been preferable over Unit's 00 and 01?"

"Because it's the final production model. You have to create a prototype to work all the bugs out so that perfection can be achieved. This... is the only Eva we're going to need against the Angels."

Shinji and Rei could have argued. Could have said that it wasn't a good idea to boast about a weapon that had never faced an Angel. But somehow, they figured she wouldn't listen.

Suddenly, the entire ship shook.

"What was that?" Asuka gasped.

"An Angel!" Shinji shouted as the trio rushed out of the cargo hold to see one of the battleships sink.

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"Where the heck are you taking me?" screamed out Shinji as the German redhead towed him across the ship's deck with Rei closely following.

"Just wait here a second," she said, ducking into a stairwell.

"What is she doing?" Rei asked.

"I think she's going to fight the Angel." Shinji said as he opened the backpack Ginji had given him. "And I think she dragged us along to watch her fight."

Shinji opened the pack to reveal the two packaged plugsuits Ginji had given him when they landed. One was blue and white, the other white and black.

He actually smiled. _'Just in case.' I don't know how you do it Ginji_. He thought as he handed the white and black suit to Rei. "No time for modesty, Rei-chan."

"What modesty?" she asked as she started shedding her clothes as Shinji turned around.

_Right. I forgot that._ He thought, remembering the few times she had been exposed to him and didn't seem to care.

"Shinji-kun?"

"Yes, Rei-chan?"

"What did Ginji tell you when you were having your guy-talk?" she asked.

Shinji's mind flashed back to what Ginji had called him over for.

"_Yes, Ginji?" Shinji asked as he approached the older man._

"_Before we meet the Second Child, there are a few things you need to know. First of all, her name is Asuka Langley Sohryu, 3/4th German and a quarter Japanese. She's a redhead and quite attractive. She's also a college graduate from Berlin University." Ginji explained._

"_She's a college graduate?" he gasped._

"_Yes. And to be such a prodigy at her age, she's also got a very high opinion of herself. She may come across as cocky and arrogant, but she's a lot like you."_

"_Like Me?"_

"_She lost her mother when she was only four. But unlike you, she copes with her pain by seeking the praise of other people. She tries to be strong by showing the world she can stand on her own two feet, so it's made her a bit of a showoff and rather lonely too._

"_Lonely? You mean she has no friends?"_

"_No real friends, and she thinks a lot of guys are perverts, so as a result she's got a wall around her. She's a good person, Shinji, but the first thing she respects is strength and confidence. If you prove to be her equal, then she'll let down her guard and become a better person to everyone."_

"_Strength and confidence." he repeated._

"_Yes. Here." he said, giving Shinji a small backpack. "Just in case." Shinji accepted it. "Also, it's pretty windy around here and Asuka sometimes likes to wear comfortable loose-fitting clothes which could get flipped up by the wind. Just be aware."_

"_I will."_

Shinji's mind came back to the present.

"He told me a little about Asuka." he answered Rei as he heard Asuka talking.

"And don't go peeping you pervert!" Asuka screamed from the stairwell as Shinji had removed his clothes and was putting on his plugsuit.

"Says the girl who likes to flash people." he stated as both he and Rei pressurized their plugsuits.

"What was that?" she screamed as she emerged from the stairwell dressed in her bright red plugsuit. She was prepared to toss just Shinji a spare suit so that he could join her to see her in action, but froze as she saw both of them dressed in their own plugsuits. "Huh?"

Shinji and Rei just looked at her. "Red's not our color." the boy answered.

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"Why won't it sink?" the desperate Captain asked as the Angel continued its assault on the fleet.

"NERV Special Delivery." Misato chimed. "Would you like some Intel on how to defeat an Angel?"

"What are you doing here?" the Captain asked.

"Watching your fleet get scrapped, just like my husband said you would." Misato glared. _Speaking of which..._ she wondered as to the absence of her husband.

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"Now I'll show you how magnificent my Eva is!" proclaimed Asuka as she opened the entry plug and hopped in. "Just don't disturb me."

Shinji just sighed as he helped Rei inside behind the pilot seat of the redhead.

"Just hold on tight, Rei-chan." Shinji said as his left hand gripped hers while his right gripped his pendant for luck.

"Yes, Shinji-kun." she tightened her own hand grip.

"Ugh! Are you two going to act like this all the time?" Asuka asked.

"Close friendships have everlasting benefits." Shinji said.

"Huh?" Asuka looked back at him in shock.

"It's something I remember my mother telling me... before she died." Shinji said sadly.

"You remember that from when you were only four?" Rei asked as Shinji nodded.

_His mother died? When he was only four?_ Asuka mentally gasped, realizing that maybe she had more in common with this boy than she thought.

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"This is odd," said Misato as she looked out the ships command center at the underwater attacker. "It's like it's searching for something."

However, while she said that, she did know what it was searching for, and hoped that her husband was on the job.

The lower levels...

_The Angel's looking for him. And Kaji's got him_. Ginji thought as he moved to the room where Kaji was supposed to be staying, and opened it. _Damn it! He's gone. But I know where!_ He thought as he took off down the corridor.

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"ALRIGHT! STARTING UP EVANGELION!!!!" Asuka shouted.

"Remember what Ginji taught us." Shinji said to Rei as the girl nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate.

_Huh? That's weird_. Asuka thought, wondering why she didn't have to switch over to the Japanese language program. _Forget it, Asuka. We've got a battle to fight_. She thought, grabbing the yokes and promising herself that she would prove that the Third Child had only been lucky, and that she was a real pilot.

"EVANGELION, UNIT 02, ACTIVATE!"

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"Message from the _Othello_! EVA Unit 02 is activating!" the communication officers shouted.

"What?" cried the Captain, as everyone on the bridge turned towards the large ship.

"YEAH! GO, ASUKA!" cheered Misato as she patched into the Eva's communications.

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"We're going to have problems if we fall into the ocean." Shinji said, wondering if his mother was going to be with him like she had in the past. "I mean we're still using the B-type equipment."

"Then I guess we'll have to avoid that." Asuka said with absolute confidence.

"You have a knack for stating the obvious." he exclaimed.

(_Shinji, are you in there too?)_ A voice from the main carrier came in.

"Yes, Misato. And Rei's here also." Shinji stated.

_(What? She is? But.. This is just... okay fine! A Triple Piloting Mission! So Be It!)_

"We are running low on power and time." Rei stated, looking at the power countdown.

_(Get to the carrier. We've got the power cable ready to go.)_ Misato said.

"But how do we get there?" Shinji asked.

"Ever play hopscotch?" Asuka asked, grinning wickedly as her EVA launched itself off the ship mere moments before the Angel hit the tanker, landing on a destroyer and bounding towards the Over the Rainbow for the power feed.

Unfortunately, Asuka landed a little off center on the ship, causing it to tilt and dump several planes into the water.

The Captain was screaming about his equipment as Asuka inserted the power socket into her EVA, stopping the countdown timer. She turned towards the Angel, drawing her progressive knife.

The whale-like Angel sped towards the aircraft carrier and launched itself on the deck, where Unit 02 slammed into it with it's fists and knife.

"It's bigger than the other ones!" Shinji shouted as he felt the jolt of the Angel.

Suddenly, the Eva's foot stepped on the aircraft elevator, giving way under the enormous strain and causing both Eva and Angel to tumble into the water.

Shinji and Rei leaned forward behind Asuka, Shinji placing his right hand over Asuka's right, Rei's left hand going over Asuka's left.

"What are you two doing?" Asuka asked, looking back at both of them.

"We're Eva pilots." Rei said.

"We fight together. No matter what." Shinji stated.

Asuka just looked at the pair, actually feeling a strange sense of warmth rise up in her.

"Now let's take this thing down!" Shinji said.

"RIGHT!" the two girls shouted.

Their unified mentality pushed the Eva's synch ratio to it's highest level as the Angel began to drag them along the sea floor, which was all that remained of the old city which had sunk into the ocean after Second Impact.

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Back on the carrier, Kensuke was in the middle of changing his tapes, when he spotted a plane about to take off, a new voice coming over the radio. _(Hey Katsuragi!)_

"Kaji?!" she gasped as she saw his plane rising out.

(_I've got something to deliver, so I'll be taking off now...)_

Misato growled. "YOU GODDAMNED SON-OF-A-BITCH RAT BASTARD COWARD! SHOOT HIS ASS DOWN!" she roared at the captain.

The Captain sighed. "We could, but someone's toy damaged all our surface-to-air batteries!"

"Then leave this to me." Ginji said as he stepped onto the bridge.

"Ginji!" Misato gasped as the two boys just stared at the man, his two Desert Eagles drawn.

"Move." he raised his guns and aimed them at the window. Two bullets fired and pierced the glass window, shattering it as Ginji bolted towards it and leaped out.

"What..." Toji gasped.

"The..." Kensuke gasped.

"HELL!!!" The Captain gasped.

"That's MY Man!" Misato shouted pumping her fist into the air as Ginji flipped through the air and dropped to the deck, rising up towards the jet.

"Huh?" the unshaven man gasped as he noticed the man in black on deck.

"KAJI!!!!" Ginji shouted as he fired his Desert Eagles at the slowly departing jet.

"OW!" Kaji gasped as the bullets struck the jet, barely missing his head. "He's using armor-piercing rounds? Get Us Out Of Here!"

"I'm trying to compensate!" the pilot shouted as he shifted the control stick.

"Leaving so soon, Kaji?" Ginji asked as he ejected his clips, quickly reloaded with the spares that were on his belt, and fired again.

"ARGH!" Kaji shouted, ducking as the bullets exploded through the jet's skin.

"This isn't working too well." Ginji said as he reholstered his guns and pulled out 'Matilda'.

(Remember that hand-cannon that the T-800 used in Terminator 2?)

"Kaji, meet Matilda." he said as he clicked the safety-switch off, aimed, and fired.

KA-BOOM!!!

The cannon's bullet launched and struck the tail of the jet, destroying it and leaving only one option.

"I've lost steering control! I'm gonna try to land us on the deck!" the pilot shouted.

"WHAT?" Kaji gasped, knowing what that would mean.

"If we don't, we'll crash into the ocean!" the pilot said as he put the thrusters into overdrive and managed to land the jet plane, hard, onto the deck, belly first.

Five seconds after he had landed, Kaji found himself staring down the barrel of a very large gun.

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Asuka was having trouble moving her Eva, though she didn't need to be told the B-type equipment didn't work under water.

"I don't suppose you've got any bright ideas." Asuka asked as she tried to move her controls.

"Can we extend the AT-Field?" Shinji asked.

"It has never been done under water." Rei said.

"We've never fought underwater." Shinji replied.

"True." the albino replied.

"What if we were to allow the Angel to swallow us then extend the AT-Field to explode it?" Shinji suggested.

"THAT'S CRAZY!!" Asuka shouted.

"But... it could work." Rei said, reinforcing Shinji's suggestion.

"Like we've got anything to lose..." Asuka mumbled as the trio pushed their skills to their limits.

The red Eva leaped off of the Angel as it sped away from them. It swam a distance and then turned around to attack. It opened it's mouth, going right for the red 'worm on a hook'.

Shinji stared hard and saw the red orb in it's throat.

"The Angel's core!" he shouted.

"We will only have one chance." Rei said.

"Come to mama, baby!" Asuka grinned as the Eva curled up into a ball as the Angel completely swallowed it whole.

It bit the power cable clean off and swam back to the fleet.

Suddenly, it stopped. It started thrashing around as it's body suddenly started to expand and bulge in some places. Within seconds, the 6th Angel exploded with incredible force. Eva 02's AT-Field hit it's peak, shattering both the core and the Angel itself, causing an explosion that sent the Evangelion out of the water and back onto the deck of the 'Over the Rainbow'.

Once the water and explosion had cleared, Misato just looked at the red Eva in shock.

_Wow. And here I thought I'd have to go with Ginji's suggestion to use the battleships. _The woman thought as she raced down to the deck to the trio.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Asuka breathed a sigh of relief as her Eva ejected the entry plug.

"Not the battle I was expecting, but pretty good." the redhead said to the pair as they got out.

"Yeah. You're Eva is definitely impressive." Shinji stated.

"Thank you!" she said with a superior smirk. Her smile faded a little, taking on a more serious tone. "Hey, Shinji."

"Yes?" he replied as Rei stood close to him.

"I... wasn't sure if you had what it took. At first I thought you were a weak, overly lucky kid. But... you've got some strength in you." she said.

Shinji looked at her and smiled a little. "Thank you, Ms Sohryu."

"Asuka." she said, indicating the name she wished to be called.

"Asuka." he replied.

The pair stared at each other a couple seconds, before Shinji pulled out a small packet from the belt addition on his plugsuit. He handed it to her.

"What's this?" Asuka asked as she pulled a pendant out of the packet. "Ohhh! I like a guy who comes bearing gifts."

"Actually, it's something more." Shinji said as he touched his own pendant.

Asuka looked at the pendant, which was a different style than his own. She opened it up to reveal a picture of Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu, from before she died.

"Ma---Mama?" she gasped as she fell to the ground on her knees.

Shinji walked up to her and knelt by her side.

"She's pretty." Shinji said.

"I don't... where did..." she started to ask.

"Ginji gave it to me, to give to you. Just like he gave me mine." he said as he opened his own pendant to reveal the picture of his mother.

"Is that..." Asuka started to ask.

"My mother. Yui Ikari." Shinji answered.

"And you... gave me my... Shinji I just..." he started to say, before Rei interrupted her.

"Shinji-kun." Rei said to the pair.

"Yes, Rei-chan?" he asked, as the girl pointed over to a crashed jet and a small gathering of people.

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"You don't realize what you've done." Kaji said as two sailors held him tightly.

"To be honest, Kaji, I do." Ginji said as he set down the case Kaji had been carrying, and opened it.

"What is it, Ginji-kun?" Misato asked as Kensuke and Toji flanked her.

"Kensuke." Ginji called the boy over.

"Yes, sir?" the boy gulped nervously.

"I need a favor."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Shinji, Rei and Asuka quickly came over to the small group. The German redhead looked at Kaji who was in handcuffs, to Misato who was glaring at the man, to Ginji and Kensuke. The boy was filming an open black case that the older man was standing in front of.

"What's going on?" Asuka asked as she approached them.

"Kaji. He was smuggling an Angel to NERV." Misato said.

"An Angel?" Shinji gasped.

"Not just any Angel." Ginji said. "Shinji, Rei, Asuka, come over here."

The three pilots came over to the older man as Kensuke moved aside and looked into the open case.

Shinji just stared, Asuka was wide-eyed, and Rei felt a strange ebbing in her mind.

Inside the case was a small creature, frozen in Bakelite, in what was an embryonic state. It wasn't like anything they had seen before, which made it's origins even more obvious.

"This is why the Angel attacked us. It was looking for this." Ginji said.

"And what is it?" Shinji asked.

"It's Adam."

The pilots and Misato gasped as Kaji just looked at the man.

"How did you know?" Kaji asked.

"A little birdie told me." he said offhandedly.

"You mean this is..." Shinji started to ask.

"Yes. The Angel that caused Second Impact."

"Second Impact?" Toji gasped.

"You mean... it wasn't a meteorite?" Kensuke asked.

"No, it wasn't." Ginji said.

"I KNEW IT!" the otaku shouted.

Asuka looked at Kaji in disbelief. It was enough that he was accused of being a rapist, but that he was also responsible for bringing an Angel down upon them. And what's more, he did it willingly. That he even had the Angel with him was proof enough, as she recognized the case being in his room from before when she visited him.

"So, what are you going to do with it?" Kaji asked.

"End it." Ginji said as he pulled his Desert Eagle from it's holster.

"What? You Can't!" Kaji shouted.

Everyone looked at him.

"I mean..." he stammered.

"It's over, Kaji. I don't care what NERV would have used this thing for. Three billion people are dead and half the world destroyed, and for what, Kaji? WHAT?" he asked the man.

The unshaven man didn't answer as the group just looked at Ginji.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Ginji asked, turning to Misato.

"Me?" the woman gasped.

"You more than anyone have the right." he said, offering his gun to his wife. "I can do it if..."

Misato took the gun and unhesitantly unloaded the entire clip into the frozen Angel.

Chunks of the Angel, dried up LCL, and even pieces of the case itself sprayed onto the deck as the woman kept squeezing the trigger.

Ginji took the empty gun from his wife and holstered it. Misato turned to the man and threw herself into his chest, letting her tears come out as an odd sense of closure overcame her.

"Captain." Ginji said to the older man. "We'll be taking our leave soon. NERV personnel will be at Yokohama to pick up Unit 02 when you arrive. We're still at sea, we'll leave Kaji to you."

"Of course." the older man said as he waved his hand, silently instructing the guards to take Kaji away to a holding cell.

"I'll need to speak with him before we leave." Ginji said.

"If you want." the older man said as he too departed.

"Ginji?" Misato asked her husband in confusion.

"There's something I need to take care of, Misa-chan." he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. "Shinji!"

"Yes?" the boy replied.

"Take care of the others until I get back."

"Right." he said as the older man headed down to the holding cells.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"GOD! THAT WAS SO COOL!!!!" Kensuke exploded. "I MEAN THE GUN BATTLE AGAINST A JET FIGHTER, THE EVA FIGHTING AN ANGEL UP-CLOSE, A NEW PILOT WHOSE A BABE, SEEING THE THING THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SECOND IMPACT, AND GETTING TO FILM IT, MISATO BLOWING THE FIRST ANGEL AWAY, AND A MASSIVE EXPLOSION!!!" he sighed deeply. "I have died and gone to heaven!"

Toji looked at him impassively before he spoke. "(Sigh) You are never going to get laid."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Shinji?" Asuka spoke up as she approached the boy.

"Yes, Asuka?"

"I just... thank you. For the pendant, I mean." she said as he held it tightly. "I... I haven't really seen mother in a long time."

"I know what you mean." Shinji said as he touched his own pendant.

"But don't think this is over, Third Child." she said with a superior grin. "I'm still gonna prove that I'm the best pilot."

He smiled. "You can have the title. I'd rather have you as a friend, than a competitor." he said as he extended his hand to her.

Asuka looked at the boy and his offered hand. Since her mothers death she had tried to stand on her own. To be strong and independent. But as a result, it had left her rather alone, as she'd never had a real friend. Mostly because she saw no one as being her equal.

_But you come pretty close, Shinji Ikari_. She thought of this boy, who was more like her than she expected him to be. Despite all her attempts at exposing his inadequacy and weakness, Shinji proved her wrong. He did have strength, and that was what she respected.

She extended her hand and accepted his. "I'd... like that."

The pair shook hands, until Shinji spoke again.

"And Rei's friend as well." he added.

"One step at a time, Third Child." she laughed.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The cell was cramped and cold, and Kaji was surprised he wasn't still in handcuffs.

He was even more surprised when he received a visitor.

"Hello, old friend." Ginji said as he approached the man.

"Haven't called me that in a while." Kaji said.

"You're lucky I haven't killed you."

"And why is that?"

"Because I want you to live."

"Considering what I've done, that makes perfect sense." he said sarcastically as he looked at Ginji through the bars. "You don't have any idea what you've done."

"You mean... stopped you from delivering Adam to Gendo so that you could get in good with that lunatic, so that you could spy on NERV for SEELE and the UN, which would have ultimately lead to your death?"

Kaji froze as he looked at him.

"You... you know?" he gasped.

"Yes, I do." Ginji replied.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. Exposing NERV's secrets, the truth about Second Impact, the Angels, even Gendo and SEELE themselves." Kaji said. "Penance, so to speak, for past crimes."

"And not just in college, either."

"No. That was a major one."

"You did what you had to do to survive after Second Impact. You didn't have a choice back then. College was different."

((AN: Read the manga if you want to know what happened to Kaji right after Second Impact))

"I know. You can't imagine how sorry I still am about that."

"I'll bet. If I hadn't met Misato first, you two might have become something."

"But you did meet her before me. I always envied that about you." he said with a sigh. "When I first set eyes on Misato, I was... captivated. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Somehow, I figured she as the one for me."

"And my very existence ruined it for you." Ginji stated.

"Like I was going to blame you for that." Kaji paused for a second. "Ever since Second Impact I was prepared to die if necessary to expose the cover-ups and truth that lead to the devastation of the whole planet. It's no less than I deserve."

Ginji glared at the man. "You really are an idiot."

"What?"

"Living is what's important. You've got a lot to make up for, that's for damn sure. And I don't think I'll ever truly trust you again. But getting killed won't make up for it."

"So what are you going to do? When they find out what's happened..."

"Leave that to me. For now, you've got an even bigger job."

"What do you mean?"

Ginji quickly laid out his proposal to Kaji.

"You can't be serious!" Kaji gasped.

"I am serious." Ginji said.

"That's... that's just..." he said in disbelief.

"I know. Can you do it?"

"Well... maybe. It's a lot to ask of me."

"You were prepared to die trying it your way."

He smirked at that. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Good. Take care, Kaji." Ginji said as he exited the holding cells.

"Yeah, you too... old friend." he said in a whisper.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Headquarters, Dr Akagi's office, hours later...)

"I still can't believe this data!" Ritsuko gasped as she went over the data the on-board computer for Eva 02 recorded and was sent to her when Unit 02 was brought in. "I mean, all three pilots held a unified synchronization for at least 30 seconds!"

"It is pretty amazing, isn't it?" Ginji said. _Amazing that we didn't need two battleships to take out the Angel like I thought we would._

"JEEZ! Would you stop doing that?" Ritsuko barked at him, the young man right behind her.

"Sorry, Ritsuko." he grinned as he backed off.

"At least you're all back. And where's our new pilot?" the blond asked as she sat at her desk.

"Misato and the others are giving Asuka a tour of NERV HQ. Get her acclimated to the place." Ginji explained.

"Which means Shinji and Rei are the ones giving her the tour." she clarified.

"Right." he said, then noticed something else. "Ritsuko... what happened to your face?"

"Huh? Oh.. Uh, nothing. It's..." she said, trying to turn away, but Ginji caught her.

"Someone hit you. What happened?"

Ritsuko sighed before retelling the story to him.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

**(FLASHBACK, 2 Hours Ago...)**

"HE WHAT?" Gendo roared.

Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki hated this part of the job, giving Gendo bad news.

"Ginji shot down our agent Kaji when he was attempting to bring us Adam." Fuyutsuki said.

"Adam was then destroyed by Captain Katsuragi, using one of Ginji's guns." Ritsuko added.

"The entire incident was witnessed by the captain of the super carrier fleet that was transporting Unit 02, who has reported it back to the U.N."

"SO THE U.N. KNOWS ABOUT OUR PLANS?" Gendo shouted as he beat his fists against the desk top.

"It's possible they're suspicious, but they have no proof we're up to anything." Ritsuko declared, trying to calm him down.

"DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT MAN!!!" Gendo shouted as he gripped his desk and hurled it onto its head. His chair was next, tossed into the far window that overlooked the Geofront.

However, Gendo's anger couldn't be sated by furniture, and he turned on his subordinates. The aged sub-commander was first to feel Gendo's fist.

**(END FLASHBACK)**

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"It was insane." Ritsuko said, saddened by what had happened. "He was just screaming, and shrieking, and cursing. Beating his fists against the desk, flipping it over, tossed the chair across the room. And then he just leaps at the sub-commander like a rabid animal, starts beating him like crazy. I tried to stop him, and he hit me and...I just... It was so..."

Ginji sighed, realizing this was his fault as well.

"I'm sorry, Ritsuko." Ginji said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Ginji. You didn't know. How could you?" she said with a small, forced laugh.

"But I should have." he said. "I should have considered the consequences of my friends getting... I'm just sorry, Ritsuko."

She smiled at him, putting her hand over his. _I want to blame you Ginji, but how can I? You only have everyone's best interest at heart. And that comes with consequences. _

"How is Fuyutsuki doing?" Ginji asked.

"He's in recovery. Gendo really did a number on him, but he should pull through." Ritsuko said.

"He is tougher than he looks." Ginji smirked, but his expression turned serious as he addressed the female scientist. "I promise Ritsuko, he'll pay for what he's done. But what about you? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asked.

_How about making me scream like a Banshee?_ She thought wildly, yet dumbed down her thoughts to a more proper request. "Could you... hold me?" she asked as she turned around to face him.

Ginji smiled as he pulled the woman into his arms, hugging her firmly as she rested her head against his shoulder.

_This feels so nice... and this is just him holding me._ She thought as she sighed, her heart beat faster, her cheeks flushing a little as a tear escaped her eye. _Oh, Ginji._

Standing next to the door to her office, a certain purple-haired woman was watching, and listening.

_Maybe there's something I can do for you Ritsuko._ Misato grinned as she silently walked off to find the kids.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And now... OMAKE!

"HE WHAT?" Gendo roared.

Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki hated this part of the job, giving Gendo bad news.

"Ginji shot down our agent Kaji when he was attempting to bring us Adam." Fuyutsuki said.

"Adam was then destroyed by Captain Katsuragi, using one of Ginji's guns." Ritsuko added.

"The entire incident was witnessed by the captain of the super carrier fleet that was transporting Unit 02, who has reported it back to the U.N."

"SO THE U.N. KNOWS ABOUT OUR PLANS?" Gendo shouted as he beat his fists against the desk top.

"It's possible they're suspicious, but they have no proof we're up to anything." Ritsuko declared, trying to calm him down.

"DAMN HIM! DAMN THAT MAN!!!" Gendo shouted as he gripped his desk and hurled it onto its head. His chair was next, tossed into the far window that overlooked the Geofront.

However, Gendo's anger couldn't be sated by furniture, and he turned on his subordinates.

Fortunately, the aged sub-commander was the first to realize that Gendo would be upset at hearing this news and had prepared for it.

Gendo lunged at Fuyutsuki first, only to have the elderly man pull out a stun gun and jab it into the man's chest.

ZZZZZZZZAP!

"ARGH!" Gendo shrieked as he fell to the ground.

"Is he?" Ritsuko asked.

"No, he's alive. I was pretty sure he'd freak out when he heard Ginji destroyed Adam." Fuyutsuki said.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"I hear there's a nice view at the bottom of the elevator shaft." he suggested.

"And we could say that he just committed suicide." she added.

"Work-related stress is a killer." he agreed.

And so the pair dragged their commander to the tallest elevator and dumped him down it.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

BANG! The longest chapter I've ever written for one of my stories. I just couldn't help but write all this. Originally I just wanted a nice little continuation of a back story on how Ginji and Kaji met in college, and how Misato and Ginji got married, what happened to make Ginji so protective of Misato and even how Ginji and Misato knew Asuka, and so on. But as I wrote it, other ideas and dialogue kept coming up, and I just kept writing.

The 'thank you' party at the beginning was fun to write, as was Shinji and Rei kissing. I did these because they had never really been done in these stories.

And I'm basically making this a Ginji/Misato, and Shinji/Rei story.

Then there was the scene where I smuggled Rei onto the chopper so that I could have her meet the Second Child, and then there was the gunfight where Ginji shot down the jetplane. I did these things also because they had never really been done before.

The killing of the First Angel, Adam, was probably the most dramatic twist I'd ever come up with, as I'm sure no one has done that in any story. (As far as I know) Of course, with Adam dead and being an essential part of Gendo's plans, I knew that Gendo would naturally go ballistic when he found out, which would cause him to 'kill the messenger' as it were. I did this only because it has relevance to a later aspect of the story involving Ritsuko.

Don't worry, Fuyutsuki will recover and be back later.

Also, while I'm not an Asuka fan, I thought it would be good to start Shinji and Asuka off on a better foot than the one they originally got off of. With Ginji giving Shinji advice and warnings about the redhead I figured to make Shinji strong enough to earn Asuka's respect, then thus tone down her aggressive nature towards the boy.

And I'm sorry that the author's notes in the last chapter were not that long. But this is a two-chapter chapter.

And I'll probably add more omake's later on.

Please read and review, extensively.


	12. Dance of Two

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

**Chapter 10 - Dance of Two**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva or anything in it, just the direction of the story itself.

Story so far: Shinji and Rei have helped Asuka defeat the 6th Angel and gained her as a friend, Misato has destroyed Adam, and Ginji has taken a serious step to disrupting Gendo's plans.

Summary: Shinji and Rei take on the 7th Angel with Asuka's help and Ginji takes Ritsuko out for dinner, dancing and romancing.

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Shinji Ikari01: Yes, I do realize that I just screwed over the HIP. That was kinda my intention. And you have to admit, it was the best opportunity to do so, right?

Deathblade Prime: I wasn't sure about the Grenade Launcher or if that's what it was called, so I just named it. And the joke for Kensuke was funny.

Ten-faced Paladin: At this point Ginji can't do too much more to Gendo's plans other than get rid of Lilith. Which will probably be much later.

John Tannius: Actually, Gendo does have a back-up plan and it's totally a long-shot without Adam.

Zidane Lightning Saix: It was my intention to have Ritsuko become the 'other woman' with Ginji and Misato. I don't know if I'm gonna have Asuka do the same with Shinji and Rei.

Spiritblade: I know, I know. The grammar could use an update and all, but despite the time I go over each story, errors slip through. I am working on it though.

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(The Secret Meeting Chambers of SEELE)

"This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!"

"There is nothing we can do about this situation, though."

"The First Angel has been destroyed."

"It will not affected our plans."

"Adam and Lilith were key to our plans of initiating the Human Instrumentality Project!"

"The project can still go ahead as planned. We simply need to complete our Eva-series and use Unit 01 in conjunction with it."

"The Eva-series are only half complete!"

"Then according to the scrolls, we are on schedule."

"But without the First Angel, our scenario has been derailed."

"We should be more concerned with the interference of Ginji Katsuragi."

"He may be an annoyance to Gendo, but he will not interfere with our plans."

"He is responsible for the destruction of the First Angel."

"We are prepared for that."

"Are we?"

"The First Angel's use in our scenario is not needed."

"It would have helped to ensure it's success."

"It can still be completed."

"You're being rather optimistic, aren't you?"

"Regardless, the man seems rather informed."

"He was already suspicious of our man, especially considering their pasts."

"We should have considered that. But... there is nothing that can be done as of now."

"His purpose is to protect the Children, train them to pilot the Eva's and fight the Angels."

"He is quite good at his job I hear."

"Perhaps we should consider him as our replacement."

"Will he do it?"

"Unlikely. It is easy to say that his goals fall in line with NERV's official purpose. Our goals could be seen as contrary to those."

"But with Ryoji out of the picture, we cannot rely on Gendo to keep us informed of the status of our scenario."

"Then we will need someone closer to the man."

"Fuyutsuki perhaps?"

"Or Ritsuko Akagi."

"Naoko's daughter may or may not be inclined to help us in this fashion."

"She took over for her mother upon her death, which was caused by Gendo."

"That was never proven."

"Of course not. Gendo doesn't dirty his hands with such things."

"That's not what I hear."

"You are referring to his attack on Fuyutsuki and Akagi."

"The elderly man was most forthcoming with that information while in recovery in the hospital."

"Then we will consider him as our new insider?"

"We will table these matters for now, and proceed with our original plans."

After some silence...

"AGREED!"

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It had been a week since the battle at sea, in which many things had happened.

1-the 6th Angel had attacked and had been destroyed.

2-the First, Second and Third Child joint piloted Eva 02.

3-Ginji had gunned down a fighter jet with Matilda.

4-Kaji was exposed as the reason the Angel was attacking the ship.

And 5-The first Angel, Adam, had been destroyed.

Since then, Asuka had been given a tour of NERV and Tokyo-3, moved into a new apartment next to Ginji and the others, and enrolled in Junior High along with Shinji and Rei. Odd considering she is a college graduate

It was at school that Asuka became something of a celebrity, what with her being a rather beautiful foreign exchange student, and an admitted Evangelion pilot.

However, it was Shinji and Rei who got considerable attention themselves, as Asuka had somehow managed to circular a rumor the pair were dating.

"Guess that makes sense." Shinji overhead one student say. "They do make a cute couple."

"Wow. I never thought Rei would get herself a boyfriend." Rei heard another student.

"I heard that they're living together now after Rei's apartment got knocked down by a rocket." Shinji heard another say.

"You're kidding!"

"No. Heard Shinji rescued her from the place and was even injured saving her."

"Oh! It's so romantic, living and working and going to school with each other!" Rei heard another girl say.

The rest of the school day carried on like this, the rumors spreading like wildfire thank to Asuka, Toji and Kensuke mostly.

The only thing that came of it, was to solidify Shinji's resolve for what he had to do.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"What are these?" Rei asked as Shinji walked in the door late that night and held out a bouquet of flowers to her in one hand and a small stuffed toy to her in the other.

"They're flowers and a gift. A guy should get them for his girlfriend." Shinji said.

"Then these are not meant for me." Rei replied as she turned away.

Shinji looked at her, puzzled.

"Not for you?" he asked.

"You said they are for your girlfriend." she said.

"Yes, but... aren't you my girlfriend, Rei?" he asked. "I mean... after everything we've been through and done... aren't you?"

"No. I am not." she said solemnly.

"Oh." he said sadly, her meaning quite clear. "I see."

"Because you have not asked me." she suddenly stated.

"What?" he asked, perking up and looking at her.

"You have not asked me, officially, to be your girlfriend." she explained.

That was when Shinji laughed. He really was an idiot at times.

"I really am an idiot, aren't I?" he asked the girl.

"Not always." she said with a small smile.

Shinji paused for a second to regain himself, then set the flowers and toy down on the couch before stepping up to her, taking her hands in his.

"I'm asking you officially now Rei-chan. Can you forgive me for being so stupid, and will you be my girlfriend?"

Rei smiled at him again as she did after the Fifth Angel battle and leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips. She pulled back and replied, "I forgive you, Shinji-kun. And yes, I will be your girlfriend."

The pair kissed more and snuggled up next to each other in front of the television. Where they also fell asleep.

The whole time, Ginji was watching this.

_I wish I had had that kind of bravery_. He thought. _Then again, I never had someone to encourage me like I do for... myself_. He paused wondering about that for a bit. _God I hate these paradoxes!_ He mused as he went back to bed.

He felt his wife roll over and snuggle up to his side lovingly.

"Where did you go, hun?" Misato said softly to him.

"Just watching Shinji ask Rei to be his girlfriend in the living room." he replied.

"Hmm. That's nice." she said as she wrapped her arms around his chest. "Which reminds me. There's something I need to talk to you about."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ritsuko Akagi watched as Shinji struck every target on the screen with perfect accuracy.

"Excellent, Shinji! Now, we're going to speed up the targets and change up the number so you won't know where or when they are coming." Ginji called to him.

(Understood.) the boy called back.

From the back of the monitoring room of the Eva-simulator, Ritsuko just smiled.

_He's so dedicated to these kids. Especially Shinji_. She thought. _And his wife_. She thought dejectedly. _I wish he'd show me that kind of attention_. She sighed softly.

"Something on your mind, Ritz?"

"AH!" she gasped, noticing Ginji right next to her, leaning against the wall as if he had been there the whole time.

Ritsuko looked down and saw that Misato had taken his place at the console.

"What the... how did... you were..."

"That's what I like about you, Ritz. You're so eloquent." he smiled.

"I really hate it when you do that!" she snapped.

"I know, but it's fun to watch you squirm."

_Oh, I'd squirm for you_. she thought, then blushed as she realized what she had thought. "Maybe we should add flirting to your résumé." she said, hiding her blush behind her clipboard.

"Then I'll get a chance to practice more on you tomorrow night." he said.

"What?"

"Misato and I are going out to dinner at The Blue Crane and wondered if you wanted to join us."

"And watch you and the misses flirt and kiss like crazy while I sit there, ignored?"

"You know we'd never ignore you, Ritsuko."

She sighed. "I know." she said, knowing it would be difficult to be there regardless.

"Then you agree." he said.

"Well, I..."

"You're not going to be doing more work on the Magi, are you?"

"No."

"And the Eva's don't need more work, do they?"

"Not really..."

"Unless you've already got plans for tomorrow night?"

"I wish. EEP!" she gasped, realizing how that sounded.

"Then join us, Ritsuko. We'll get the kids to stay at Asuka's, invite some of their friends over and such, make sure PenPen has a baby-sitter. Maybe get your bridge bunnies to do it."

Ritsuko looked at Ginji and actually thought about that.

"Alright. On one condition." she said.

"What?"

"You'll dance with me at least once."

Ginji smiled at that. "How about two?"

Ritsuko smiled. "Alright, two dances and a bottle of wine."

"Wine? Wouldn't sake be better?"

"Why, Ginji Katsuragi, are you trying to seduce me?" she playfully smiled.

"Would that be bad thing?" he smiled back.

_Oh, god! Did he really say that?_ "Careful, Ginji-kun. This sort of behavior could be considered sexual harassment." she stated.

"And what's the penalty for that?" he asked playfully.

"Someday you'll have to make good on your innuendo's." she smirked as the alarms sounded.

"Time to get to work." he said as he raced out to the Second War Room.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Hey, Ritz, you alright?" Misato asked the blond doctor as she stood inside the command center.

"I was just thinking about something else." Ritsuko replied as she wondered what she was going to wear for the dinner tomorrow.

"Well, stop thinking and concentrate. The Eva's are about to engage the target."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The three Eva's stood ready for the attack of the Angel that was supposed to emerge from the coast line of the half-submerged city that was once Tokai.

It had been nearly two weeks since the last Angel battle. A battle they had won due to all three pilots cramming into the red Eva and joint piloting it against the whale-like Angel.

But now, all three of the Eva's were perched on the edge of a new battle awaiting their opponent. Unit 01 and 02 were in front with melee weapons while Unit 00 was behind them armed with long-range weapons like rifles and rocket launchers.

"Just stay behind me, Shinji." Asuka called from Unit 02. "I can handle this Angel without anyone getting in the way."

"But Asuka, we don't have any data about this Angel. We don't know how strong it's AT-Field is, or what it's special skill is." Shinji stated.

"Special skill?" the redhead asked.

"The last four Angels have all had special abilities." Rei explained over the monitor. "The Third Angel had an energy lance in it's arm, the Fourth Angel had energy whips for arms, the Fifth Angel was strong both offensively and defensively, and the Sixth Angel was aquatically adapt." she said, counting on her fingers.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean they're invincible." Asuka replied.

"It would be better if we knew what it was capable of." Shinji said.

(That's where being resourceful, creative, and thinking on your feet comes in handy.) Ginji said from the Second War Room.

"But Ginji..."

(No buts, Shinji.) The man said. (What do you think I've been training the three of you for the last twelve days for?)

"But we must have done a dozen different simulations!" the boy argued.

(And you remember them, right?) The man asked.

"Well... yeah."

(Then stop fretting and focus on your goals, young one. Believe in yourself and you will never be defeated.)

(Thank you, Obi-Wan Kenobi) Misato grinned from the main command center.

(SIR! MA'AM! Target is approaching!) Maya Ibuki cried out.

Everyone's attention shifted as a loud explosion erupted from the surf. Asuka focused her attention to the ocean and the exploding geyser as she gripped her lance.

As the water fell from around the Angel, both Shinji and Asuka, and Ginji and Misato who were in NERV, got a good look at the strange Angel.

It was tall. Taller than the Eva's perhaps, and of a sleek grayish color with a bony mask like that of the Third Angel. It's body was curved to the point that it looked like it could roll itself into ball if it wanted to. What was odd was that it's core looked like a yin-yang symbol, evenly curved down the middle. Like it could separate.

_But we're ready for you this time._ Ginji thought as he continued to watch the screen.

Far behind her two partners, the blue-painted cycloptic Eva stood with a high-powered energy rifle ready to shoot down the Angel if it got past the other two Eva's.

Of course, given the purple-horned Eva's track record against the Angel's thus far, it was less of a worry.

The four-eyed red Eva, however...

"I got it!" Asuka shouted as she gripped her lance and charged.

(ASUKA, WAIT!) Misato shouted before Shinji could.

The redhead charged toward the Angel, hopscotching over half-sunk buildings and with an even greater leap, jumped high into the air and brought her lance down hard directly on the Angel, the high energy blade slicing the creature right down the middle. Her victory seemingly assured, Asuka leaped away to admire her work.

"See? A battle should be clean and elegant. Without waste." she smirked.

_Whoa. Ginji was right about her. She's got talent, but then why did Ginji want Rei to..._

Suddenly, Shinji's unthought question was answered as the Angel suddenly started to move.

(Asuka, pull back now!) Misato cried out as the Angel started to quiver and then alter its shape and color.

"What are you talking..." the redhead asked as the split form of the Angel suddenly shifted into two new entities, smaller than the gray one, yet still slightly larger than the Eva's themselves. One was red, the other a sort of tannish brown, almost gold.

Naturally Misato's reaction was, (**_THAT'S JUST BULLSHIT!!!!_**)

_Kou and Otsu have shown themselves_. Ginji let out a deep sigh and focused all his attention on the task at hand.

Asuka was caught off-guard when the two pieces became their own creatures. She now understood what Shinji was so apprehensive about, even as they both grabbed her and tossed her like a large red log back into the ocean.

(Unit 02 is down! Unit 02 is down!) The shouting from the control room came.

"Yeah, I noticed!" Ginji shouted from the Second War Room as he saw Shinji blocking the claw attacks of the two Angels while Rei was running full-tilt firing off her weapons.

In the field, Shinji was doing his best to keep the two Angels occupied as Rei continued firing. He had managed to get behind the Angels so that Rei wouldn't hit him, and used his AT-Field against them to keep them immobile. Fortunately their own AT-Fields were weaker than Shinji's, which made them open targets for Rei's shooting.

However, they quickly realized this and leaped out of the way with several holes in their bodies. Said holes started healing rather quickly.

(Asuka! Get out of the water and back into the fight!) Misato shouted.

"I'm moving! I'm moving!" the redhead shouted as she managed to find her footing and lumbered out of the water. She grabbed her lance and leaped out of the water as far as possible. Her cable had been severed in the fight, so now she had less than 5 minutes left in her power core. "4 minutes, 12 seconds. Fine! Then let's get as much damage in as possible!" she cried out as she launched herself forward to join the fight.

The Red Angel backhanded Unit 01 down as Rei continued to fire at the Gold Angel. Asuka had managed to make it to the fight, leaping up and bringing her lance down upon the Red Angel. It let out a shrike of pain and turned to face the Red Eva, as Shinji kicked out his legs to the Angels, causing it to drop and kneel before Asuka, who took the opportunity to slash at the downed Angel, slashing at it's core.

"HA! Got it!" she cried triumphantly.

However, when Asuka turned to help the others with the Gold Angel, the Red Angel's core suddenly healed up. It stood up and advanced on it's foe.

(ASUKA! BEHIND YOU!) Misato shouted from the command center.

"Wha..." she gasped as the Angel back handed the red Eva to the side.

(SHINJI!) Misato shouted again.

"What happened? I thought Asuka killed that thing!" the boy gasped as he dodged the fierce arm swings of the Red Angel.

(It's core somehow healed!)

"That's not fair!" Asuka groaned as she struggled to stand up.

Shinji ignored the comments as he lunged forward, catching the red Angel around it's waist and knocking it to the ground.

From the command center Ginji was watching as the battle continued on.

_It's core healed up. But... it was only a half... only a half, only a half, only a..._ "THAT'S IT!" he shouted as he pressed the comm button on his console. "Misato!"

(I'm kinda busy, Ginji-kun!) His wife called back.

"I know how they can defeat the Angel!" he shouted.

(WHAT? How?)

"Tell them to execute Maneuver 7 and finish it with Maneuver 9. They'll know what to do." he explained.

(Maneuver 9? But that's only for ONE Angel!) She argued.

"They can make it work for two, if Shinji uses the extra Prog. Knife we installed in his Eva."

(Alright!) She cried as she pressed the comm. button and relayed the orders to the pilots.

It was then that all of NERV witnessed a miracle.

Borne of their rigorous training regime by Ginji Katsuragi, the three pilots acted as one. Rei slammed her rifle against the face of the Gold Angel, Asuka slammed both fists into the face of the Red Angel as soon as Shinji had released himself from it. Shinji and Rei moved towards each other, grabbing their right arms at the wrist as Shinji pulled hard on Rei's arm to literally use her as an Eva-bat to hit the Red Angel and knock it down with her feet. Rei landed hard on the ground and pulled on Shinji's arm, tossing him into the air to strike the Gold Angel and knock it down.

The Angels flipped back onto their feet as the purple and blue Eva, in perfect unison, flipped towards the Angels, and as one, leaped into the air and kicked the two Angels backwards into Asuka, who moved under the pair and used her lance like a bar and tripped the pair onto their backs. The instant they landed, Shinji and Rei came down feet first onto the Angels faces. They rebounded off the Angels, twisting in the air with such incredible grace.

To everyone in command, it almost looked like they were dancing.

_We should be playing music to this_. Shigeru thought.

Asuka had a minute left on her timer as she and Rei grabbed the stunned Angels from behind as they tried to stand up, facing them toward each other. Shinji moved quickly towards the captive Angels, pulling two Progressive Knives from his shoulder pylons that Ritsuko had installed in Eva 01 at Ginji's request. He twirled the blades into a downward angle and shot his arms out the instant he was between the two Angels. He impaled the Angels right above their cores and, like Ginji had taught him, curved the angle of the blades, and cut around both of the cores in a matter of seconds.

"Hurry up, Shinji! We can't hold them much longer!" Asuka shouted, her power-counter less than 15 seconds to go as the Red Angel struggled in her grip.

"I'm working on it!" Shinji shouted back as he came full circle on the Angels.

"Hurry, Shinji-kun!" Rei shouted, holding the Gold Angel tightly. "They are breaking free!"

When the blades were brought up to the tops of the cores, Shinji released the blade handles, brought his hands under them and shot his hands up, open palmed. The upward thrust of the handles caused the blades to pull inward. As the blades were on the top the cores, the upward thrust caused them to pop the cores sharply out of the Angels themselves.

With the cores gone, the Angels went limp in each Eva's arms.

Back in the command center, everyone was just stunned. Unbelievably they stared at the screen and battle they had just witnessed and still they gasped.

The tactic that the pilots had used, of Ginji's own creation and suggestion, had worked.

It would be weeks before they fully accepted the unusual situation they themselves had seen.

The Angels died the second Asuka's power gave out as well.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Two hours later, briefing room...)

"That was truly amazing work. All of you." Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki said with a smile, still bandaged around the face and arm.

"Yes, congratulations on your incredible victory." Ritsuko stated.

"Thank you!" Asuka beamed.

Shinji and Rei just smiled and nodded at the compliment.

"And what of the Angel remains?" Gendo asked without emotion.

"Unit's 00 and 01, being the only two Eva's with power, were able to move the bodies back to the edge of the shoreline where the Angel first appeared, and piled them on top of one another." Maya explained.

"Unit 01 then planted an N2 Mine on top of the bodies, which was activated by remote from NERV, effectively destroying both bodies with no collateral damage to anyone." Ritsuko finished.

"And who authorized that?" Gendo asked, rather annoyed by the use of an N2 without his approval.

"I did." Ginji said.

The commander looked at the man, grimacing. "You overstep your authority."

"I don't think so." he said simply.

"The use of an N2 Mine must first go through me, as well as it's detonation." he stated.

"Not if it belongs the JSSDF." Ginji argued.

Gendo cocked and eyebrow. "You borrowed an N2 from the Defense Force?"

"I know a guy in supplies who owed me a favor." Ginji grinned with a shrug. "Besides I thought it was a good idea as opposed to our usual methods."

"Which is?"

"Disposing of the dead Angel bodies costs us a fortune. This way we save time, effort, manpower, all of which could have been put forth to repairing the Eva's, not to mention coming under budget due to our usual escapades." he explained to the grim man. "The city that we detonated the Mine in has been long deserted and half-sunk by the ocean, so the only thing we did was clear out a bunch of ruins. There was no loss of life, and you have to admit that guys just love blowing stuff up."

If Gendo wasn't so upset at the man, he would have face-fell into the ground.

"And what about the Second Child's rash actions and inability to follow protocol?" he asked, as if trying to shift some blame onto someone else.

"Asuka may have been rash, but she redeemed herself by providing us with a valuable piece of information." Misato said.

"What information?" Gendo asked.

"When she stabbed the split core of the Red half-Angel, it regenerated. We didn't know it could do that and as a result we had to shift our battle strategy to a more effective means." she explained.

"Using Ginji's suggestion." Ritsuko added.

"And just how did you come up with that strategy, Captain Katsuragi?" Gendo asked the man.

"It was one of a dozen new tactical strategies we've been training the pilots in." Ginji said as he went up to the man and dropped a report in front of him.

Gendo glared at the report. It looked about fifty pages thick.

"All of these tactical strategies are based on extensive data collected from the other Angels thus far. Different scenario's and plans that my wife and I have been creatively brainstorming for weeks on. Ritsuko even supplied her own opinions to a couple of them." Ginji said.

The blond woman nodded as Gendo looked at the report and huffed.

He didn't want to read it.

"And how did you know that your tactic of removing the Angels cores would work?" he asked Ginji.

"It worked on the 4th Angel." he said simply.

Gendo grumbled as he stood up. "Very well. At any rate the Angel is defeated and NERV has gained greater recognition over this. I leave the details to you." he said as he walked out.

He motioned for Rei to follow him out, only to have Ginji once again interfere.

"Ritsuko, have Unit's 00 and 02 been fitted with the cores?" Ginji asked.

"Cores? What new cores?" Gendo asked, stopping and turning to the group.

"The half-cores that Shinji cut from the 7th Angel." Ginji said.

"And you want to fit them into the Eva's?" Gendo asked.

"Why not? Unit 01 adapted well to the 4th Angel's core." Ginji said.

"But that was a whole core, wasn't it?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"Yes. But even the half cores were able to make the half Angels enough of a match for the Eva's." Ginji explained.

"I haven't yet. We can adapt them to the Eva's but it's gonna take the rest of the day." Ritsuko said.

"We'd be better off taking care of that sooner than later." Ginji said.

"Well, then we'll need both Rei and Asuka, the cores themselves, and Shinji standing by in case." the blond scientist said. "And with any luck they will enable both Unit's to function without power cables."

"Well then, let's get started people."

Gendo grimaced and just left.

_Again that man interferes with me._ Gendo grumbled as he walked out, trying not to show any sign of his anger. _He is becoming a threat to my plans. Already has he destroyed Adam, a key element in my scenario. He could not have known... though he and Ryoji do have a bad history. He would have already been suspicious of him, though Ginji wasn't supposed to even be there. And he took Rei with him as well. What the hell was SEELE thinking, hiring Ryoji._ He paused and grinned. _Right. They don't trust me, yet they hired me to do this job for them. Senile old fools. But without Adam I cannot initiate Third Impact like they want me to. Nor control it like I want. What now?_ He wondered as he went back to his office to brood. _Perhaps I can use another part of Adam to control the Impact. Yes. It might work. It's a longshot, but then this entire affair is nothing but a longshot. _

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It had been a whole day since the Angel battle and everything had gone off without incident.

The implanting of the half-cores into Unit's 00 and 02 had the desired effect. Both Unit's were now able to operate without their power cables, just like Unit 01.

Ritsuko had deduced that the cores worked as one, like Ginji had figured out quickly during their battle. They could operate separately, but were linked to each other. Which meant that if one of the Unit's were pierced and damaged, it could be regenerated if the other was safe at a distance. The first unit would still be able to fight, even if taken by fatal damage. It could be regenerated fully and get itself back into the fight.

This was an advantage if anything, though Ginji and the others weren't looking forward to using that in that same respect.

"Is it all done?" Ginji asked suddenly.

"Argh! Would you quit it!" Ritsuko snapped at the man.

"You know, you'd think you'd be used to me by now." the man grinned.

"Oh, I'm used to you, it's your sneaking up on me that I'm not used to. And to answer your question, yes, I'm finished. The cores are fully implanted and they are working perfectly." she replied.

"Great! When can we test them?"

"In a couple days. That should be enough time to make sure that there isn't any feedback trouble."

"Great. Then you've got enough time to rest up before joining Misato and me and for dinner tonight." he smiled.

"You still want to take me out, don't you?" she asked, pointing her finger at him like a gun.

"Quit that! You make me sound like an hitman or something." he said playfully.

"Well... you've got the skills." she stated.

"Ha. Ha." he laughed weakly. "Do you want to meet us at the restaurant, or do you want us to pick you up?"

"I'd say pick me up, but you're car is a two-door, so it wouldn't be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I couldn't wear a dress if I have to get in and out of the backseat of your car." she explained to the man. _Though I wouldn't mind being in your backseat for... GOD! Stop it Ritsuko! It's only wishful thinking. He'd never cheat on Misato. Far too loyal to even consider a fling or one-night stand. Sigh. I truly would have been the luckiest girl in the world if I had met him before Misato. _

"Ritsuko?" Ginji said, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes! I'll meet you at the restaurant." she exclaimed.

"Alright then. I'll see you at seven."

"Seven o'clock." he said as he walked out of her office.

Ritsuko just looked at him leave, sighing again in her disappointment.

_It's only wishful thinking, Ritsuko. Only wishful thinking. _

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ritsuko had been sitting at the bar nursing her second drink when Ginji walked in. Ritsuko couldn't help but stare at the man as he entered the Blue Crane lounge. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a black, long sleeved button-up shirt, polished shoes and a dinner jacket. His hair combed neatly with his face clean shaven. He looked handsome.

Ginji walked into the lounge of the restaurant and saw the blond scientist sitting at the bar. She was dressed in a lite blue evening dress that looked like it was meant to be both professional and sexy at the same time. She wore a pair of matching shoes, her hair brushed out, and lite makeup on her face. She looked beautiful.

Ginji walked up to the blond scientist and smiled.

"Been waiting long?" he asked.

_You have no idea how long_. She thought then noticed something odd. "Where's your other half?"

"She said she was going on ahead. I thought she would be here by now."

Suddenly, Ginji's cellphone went off. He answered it.

"Hello. Misato!" he said, the blond scientist giving him a curious look. "Are you sure? Nothing too big I... really? Alright. Sure. I'll see you at home later." he said before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Ritsuko asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Asuka and that boy Toji Suzuhara got into a fight, so Misato is stuck playing referee to make sure she doesn't kill anyone."

"Oh, for crying out..." she laughed, then a thought dawned on her. "So, it's... just us?" she asked him hopefully. For a few seconds she feared that he would go home and leave her alone.

"Well, yeah." he said, looking around. "Do you know if our table is ready?"

She looked at him. "You still want to do this?"

"Well, I did promise you a dance." he said with a smile. "And it's not like we ever had a chance to have dinner alone."

"No. We never have." she admitted.

"Ma'am?" the waiter said to Ritsuko, getting their attention. "Your table is ready."

Ginji looked at Ritsuko and held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Ritsuko smiled and took his arm. "Lets."

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ginji and Ritsuko ate, talked and laughed for nearly an hour, reminiscing until the band started playing the music for everyone to come out onto the dance floor.

"May I have this dance, dear lady?"

"Of course, good sir."

Ritsuko was lead out to the dance floor by the handsome man, blushing lightly as his arms went around her body to hold her to him. Gentle, yet firm. That was how he held her as the music played and other people gathered around them. The blond woman sighed as she leaned into his embrace and just swayed with him to the gentle rhythm.

"Ritsuko? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ginji-kun. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I've just never seen you this relaxed." he exclaimed.

She smiled. "I've never just enjoyed the company of a good man before."

Ginji smiled as he held her, her head resting against his shoulder, pulling flush against the man.

They danced a total of five songs, talking lightly and just enjoying each others company.

"Ginji-kun... can I ask you something?" she said to him.

"Anything." he answered.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if... you know... we ever got together?"

Ginji actually smiled. Misato had been right about the level of affection the woman had for him.

"I have actually."

She gasped slightly as she looked up at him. "You have?"

"Ritsuko, when I first met you I thought you were a beautiful woman. I still do. I just never suspected you were also a genius."

"And does that intimidate you?" she asked, half interested, half amused.

"I like strong women. And intellectually, you're the strongest woman I know."

Ritsuko smiled. "Thank you, Ginji-kun."

Ginji just held Ritsuko as the woman felt more comfortable and at peace than she ever had before.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ginji escorted Ritsuko back to her apartment. It was nearly 11:00 when they arrived at her place and the man escorted the woman up.

"You didn't have to walk me up." Ritsuko said, though glad that he had.

"A gentleman doesn't let a lady go unescorted, especially one he's been to dinner with." Ginji stated.

Ritsuko smiled at that. She touched the door and froze as Ginji grabbed her arm.

"Wait!" he said.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"The door."

Ritsuko looked on and saw the door to her apartment slid open.

"What? I didn't even use my keycard." she said, confused.

"Something's not right here." Ginji said as he pushed the door open.

Ginji and Ritsuko quickly scanned the apartment from the doorway, seeing nothing but darkness.

_I think Ginji's right. The electronic doors wouldn't simply be open, unless there was someone here already. But... how? I'm the only one with the keycard to this apartment_. Ritsuko thought as Ginji stepped into the apartment and flicked the light switch.

When the power didn't come on Ginji knew something was wrong.

"Wait here." he said as he moved deeper into the apartment.

Seconds past with building tension as Ritsuko wrapped her arms around her as she went in further to try and find the man. Those seconds turned into what felt like long minutes as she looked around, but saw nothing.

A shadow moved behind her as the woman felt a hand cover her mouth.

"Make one wrong move and I'll cut you, bitch!" a voice hissed into her ear as she felt a cold blade press against her neck.

Ritsuko felt her blood grow cold as she was slowly pulled out of the apartment.

"You smell nice. Bet you taste good too." the man hissed again as the pair reached the stairwell.

_Oh god! This guy's gonna rape me! Maybe kill me! Ginji!_ She mentally screamed.

CLICK!

The man froze as he felt something press against the back of his head.

"Let her go right now, or I'll blow your head off right here!" Ginji said as his Desert Eagle pressed into the man's head.

The man let Ritsuko go and quickly spun around to knock the gun from Ginji's hand. He moved to put the knife to Ginji's gut, only to have Ginji block his knife hand with his own and reel back to nail the man in the face with his elbow.

The man recoiled, but Ginji pressed his advantage, landing two punches and a finishing kick to the man's face that dropped him hard against the wall.

After making sure the man was unconscious, Ginji went over to Ritsuko.

"Ritz, are you alright?"

"Oh, Ginji!" she cried as she buried herself into the man's chest.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The police arrived within minutes and hauled the man away.

After nearly an hour of filing reports, the police left both Ginji and Ritsuko alone.

"The man had a history of breaking and entering, some electronic expertise, but also of violent behavior. The cops have been looking for him for weeks." Ginji said as he set the cup of tea in front of the blond woman as she sat in the now lit living room.

After the police had left, Ginji made sure that the entire apartment was secure and locked up tight. He had called Misato and told her about what had happened and that he would be staying with Ritsuko to make sure she was alright. Misato didn't tease him about that.

_This definitely wasn't in her plan_. Ginji thought to himself after he hung up, recalling the conversation he had had with his dear wife a few days ago.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

((**FLASHBACK**))

"You want me to do WHAT?" Ginji gasped at his wife.

"What's the problem? She is pretty and I've seen the way you have looked at her." Misato said.

"First of all, looking at and sleeping with someone are completely different! And secondly, I've never denied she was a beautiful woman."

"I don't want you to sleep with Ritsuko. I want you to seduce her!"

"Again, why?" he asked. _Not that it isn't something I wouldn't do, if I weren't married. _

"Because she needs this, Ginji-kun. I've known Ritsuko a long time and she's the most uptight person I've ever met. And you know she never had a boyfriend in collage. At this point, she would probably sleep with Gendo."

"After the beating he gave her?" he asked in disbelief.

"And there's that to consider. After the abuse she suffered because we blew away Adam, she needs more than just a hug."

"You saw that?"

"Of course."

"And just how are we going to pull this off? She knows I'm married and that I'd never cheat on you. And if she finds out that you gave me permission to, seduce, her, she might take it as pity and be offended. She's a fairly proud woman."

"Maybe so, but she's still a woman who needs to get laid."

Ginji gave her a sour look, like he was offended at that statement of someone he considered a friend.

"Can't we just take her out and introduce her to someone?"

"There isn't any time, and I don't trust the people who are out there."

"But you trust your husband to sleep with your best friend."

"I didn't say sleep. I said seduce."

He looked unconvinced.

"Look, I know you care about Ritsuko, and I know she really likes you. Hell, if I wasn't dating you in college she'd probably have taken a run at you until she got you." Misato said.

Ginji had actually considered that. He did care for Ritsuko, he did think she was beautiful as a woman and amazing as a scientist, and he did feel a strange need to protect her. Hell, he had practically offered to blow away Gendo after what he had done to her.

But he did have to wonder, just how much Ritsuko liked him.

"So... what exactly do you have in mind?" he asked.

"Leave that... to me!" she grinned like a cat.

((**END FLASHBACK**))

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And Ginji was right. When Misato heard what had happened, she nearly freaked. It had originally been her plan to have Ginji and Ritsuko go out alone, add a little wine and sake and just let the blond scientists lust take over. But this intruder was nowhere in her plans. As such she didn't argue when Ginji said he was going to stay with Ritsuko awhile.

"If you hadn't been here, Ginji-kun..." Ritsuko said softly.

"Hey, don't think about that." Ginji said as he pulled the woman into a warm hug. "It's over now."

"I know." she sniffled a little. "But... how did you get behind him? I lost track of you in the dark. I thought you were still in the apartment when he pulled me outside."

"I saw someone sneak up behind you and pull you out of the apartment. I wasn't in a good position to stop him, so I went out the balcony window and jumped over to the stairwell to wait."

"But how did you know he wouldn't go for the elevator?"

"The stairwell was closer than the elevator, and more convenient than waiting for the lift to come back up. Too much exposure and all." he explained.

Ritsuko nodded. Once again Ginji's logic had won out yet again. And saved her life to boot.

She was also pleasantly surprised when Ginji had volunteered to stay with her until she once again felt safe in her own apartment. She would have asked, but didn't get the chance.

Ritsuko sighed at the sad situation she was in.

Here she had the man of her dreams in her arms, holding her and comforting her after she had been threatened, and all she could think of was how much she wanted to get him into bed.

_God, I really am a shameless woman_. She thought sadly as Ginji held her. It was her crying that caught Ginji's attention.

"Ritz, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Ginji-kun! I'm so sorry!"

"For what? You couldn't have known that man was here and it wasn't your fault he snuck up on you. So why are you sorry?"

"Because I... I..." she started crying harder now.

"Hey! It's alright. You don't have to tell me if you..."

"I love you!" she blurted out.

"What?" he gasped, his eyes wide in shock.

"I... I love you, Ginji-kun. I've loved you ever since I met you. I was always so jealous of what you and Misato had. So jealous of Misato because she had you to love and protect her." she sighed. "And then there was seeing you with the children each day. How you encourage them, support and protect them. I just kept falling more and more in love with you. I wanted you so much, and I had no right to want it."

She paused for a few seconds to collect her thoughts as Ginji wisely remained silent.

"And then when we were alone at the restaurant, drinking, dancing, just talking, it was so wonderful. Like a dream come true. And I was planning to finish that dream my inviting you to my apartment to seduce you." she admitted.

Ginji said nothing, just held the woman as she confessed. After a few tense minutes though...

"Do you still want to?" he asked.

Ritsuko stopped crying and unburied herself from his chest.

"Ginji... what?"

Ginji gave the woman a serious look as he caressed the side of her face softly.

"I've had feelings for you too, Ritsuko. But I never knew how you truly felt about me. And now I do." he said softly. "I'd never let anything bad happen to you Ritz-chan. And I would do anything asked of me by my friends and loved ones."

Ritsuko looked a little shocked at that.

"You mean... you'd accommodate my request? Any request?" she asked.

"If you'd accommodate mine." he countered.

_All this time I never knew. I could have just asked... and he would have... I wouldn't have had to go with Gendo?_ Ritsuko thought disgustedly, a smile appearing on her face as she leaned in to whisper her request into Ginji's ear.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The morning sunlight caused the droplets of sweat to glisten off their naked bodies still covered by the single sheet. Ritsuko awoke first, the events of last night played out through her mind.

_Oh God! Misato's stories don't do him justice_. She thought dreamily as she snuggled against his chest as he laid on his right side. _It was better than I could have imagined. He was so attentive to my needs, so careful. He listened to all of my requests and pleas, not forcing anything on me. And he performed them so perfectly._ She smirked. _Of course he did. With Misato for a wife he gets in as much practice as possible. Man with experience. Lucky me. _

Ritsuko snuggled into his naked chest, sighing as she felt his arms securely around her. But it only made her realize how brief it was. A thought that caused tears to fall, and awaken Ginji.

"Ritz-chan? Is something wrong?" the man asked.

"I guess... I'm a little sad we'll never be able to do this again." she said.

"Why?"

"You did this for me because of everything that happened tonight. But I know you wouldn't do this, cheat on your wife, a second time. Even to accommodate a close friend." she sighed. "I wish I could stay like this forever." she whispered softly.

"Is that another request, Ritz-chan?" Ginji whispered.

"What?" she whispered back, staring into his eyes.

"I fulfilled your request. I have one of my own... for you." Ginji said.

She stared at him intently, or as best she could under the post-fatigue of waking up after a night of passion. But she was awake enough to hear him out.

"Name it." she said.

Ginji smiled as he whispered into her ear, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"I now pronounce you, man and wife." the priest said to the pair. "You may now kiss the bride."

Ginji leaned in and kissed Ritsuko passionately on the lips. The faux-blond woman felt the feelings of love and warmth flow through her as she held tightly to her lover and new husband.

In the small chapel, the additional quintet of individuals just watched. It was Misato who was crying.

"OH! I just love weddings!" the purple-haired woman gushed, rather humorlessly at that all the while blowing her nose with a handkerchief.

Meanwhile Shinji, Rei and Asuka just sat back and just sweat dropped, trying to inch away so that no one else would think they were with her.

It was a moot point, but still...

PenPen did nothing, still holding the pillow where the blond woman's ring had sat. Said ring was a perfect match for Ginji and Misato's, which now included Ritsuko in that arrangement.

"Are you alright, Mrs. Katsuragi?" Ginji asked the blond woman.

"I... yes. I'm just confused about one thing." Ritsuko replied, still in his arms.

"What?"

"Why did you want me to marry you?"

"You ask me this now, _after_ we're married?" he asked, amused.

"I was just so happy that you asked me, and meant it, that I didn't really think about it before." she stated. "I just want to know... why?"

Ginji smiled as he explained. "Because I realized how much I love you, Ritz-chan. And I didn't want what happened between us to be just a one-night stand kind of thing. You deserved better than that. And since you know I would never cheat on my wife..."

"You married me so that you could make love to me whenever you wanted." she finished.

"No. Whenever _you_ wanted." he corrected.

Tears filled her eyes at his honest confession.

"Oh, Ginji-kun!" she cried as she fell into his chest, hugging him tightly as he kissed her forehead softly, returning her hug.

"Welcome to the family, Ritz-chan!" Misato gushed again, interrupting their tender moment as she wrapped the blond woman into a tight hug, burying her head in the woman's bosom.

"Oh for crying..." Ritsuko gasped as she tried to peel the purple-haired woman off her. "Get away!"

"No, you like it!" she laughed as she hugged the woman tighter.

Ginji and the others couldn't help but laugh at that.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Authors Notes:

Hope everyone enjoyed this. It was a pretty long chapter, (25 pages and over 8000 words) but I liked writing it.

I also hoped that no one minded that I had Ginji marry Ritsuko. It seemed the best way to get her away from Gendo and all. And I'm sure you'd agree, that if Ginji wanted to kill someone who hurt or threatened someone he cared about, he would surely kill anyone who hurt his wife and children.

Or in this case, _wives_.

The whole Eva's vs the 7th Angel battle was done in such a way as to give emphasis to the hard work and ingenuity that Ginji put in with the pilots, and the growing skill of the pilots themselves. After all, he does have intimate knowledge of how these battles went. The inner workings of NERV may change, but the Angels are not something that he could control. They will come without adherence to any schedule. And because of that, he will be able to predict and overcome them all.

Yay!

And like always, please read and review. I expect good things from each and everyone of you.


	13. Ritsuko's Day

_**SECOND TIME AROUND**_

**Chapter 11 - ****Ritsuko's Day**

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or it's characters, only the plot and course of the story is mine.

Story so far: After defeating the 7th Angel, Ginji takes Ritsuko Akagi out to dinner, set up by Misato to get her friend laid, which resulted in feelings being revealed and Ritsuko's life being in danger by a robber, rescued by Ginji, who made love to Ritsuko and ended up marrying her.

Summary: Ritsuko Akagi makes a few changes to her life, which include Gendo, Rei, and her loyalty to the insidious plans of a Gendo-run NERV.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The faux blond scientist blinked her eyes open and focused them on the man who currently had her in a tight, naked embrace.

Ginji Katsuragi. Her husband.

_God! I am never going to get used to that_. She mentally thought to herself.

Of course it had only been a week since she and Ginji had gotten married. Since then she had moved herself into their apartment where she had been monopolizing their bedtime. Five times since their marriage had they made love. Not that Ritsuko didn't enjoy it, as Ginji proved to be a better lover than Gendo ever did, but it did leave a nagging doubt inside her about something.

Suddenly, she felt Ginji start to stir.

"Morning, Ritz-chan." he whispered to her.

"Morning, Ginji-kun." she replied.

He kissed her tenderly on the lips, an affection she warmly returned.

"We really should get up." she said.

"Or we could stay in bed the rest of the day." he replied.

"Ginji... as tempting as that sounds, we haven't been to NERV in four days. And I'm still the chief scientist there."

"Well... we are on our honeymoon." he said.

Ritsuko laughed at that.

"Ginji-kun?" she asked, smiling at the man.

"Yes?"

"Did you... marry Misato this way?"

"You mean... sleep with her, ask her to marry me, and then have a quick-wedding like we did?"

"Yes."

"Sort of. We got married in Tokyo-2."

"I see."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well... I just always dreamed of getting married the usual way. You know... wedding dress, big church, procession, having rice thrown at me, reception, honeymoon in Maui..." she listed.

"If Maui was still there." Ginji said.

"True."

"Is that what you really want?"

"Well..."

"Because I promised Misato the same thing."

"You did?" she asked, figuring it right.

"I promised to give her a big wedding first out. But... she wanted to get hitched as quick as possible to get over what happened in college."

Ritsuko nodded at that.

"Back then there wasn't a rush... but now..." she said.

"We've got a war to fight, so getting married in the traditional way, for us, isn't doable right now." He caressed her cheek softly. "I promise, Ritz-chan, when this whole thing is over, I'll give you the wedding you deserve."

"Thank you, Ginji-kun." she sighed as she settled against his chest again.

(RING, RING)

"Oh for crying..." Ritsuko grumbled as she reluctantly untangled herself from her husband and reached for her purse. Fetching her 'cursed' phone out of said purse, she flipped it open. "Hello?"

(_Sempai_?)

"Maya. This had better be good, my dear."

(_Uh... well, the commander has had everyone looking for you for the last couple days. It was just recently that he asked if I knew how to get a hold of you_.) Maya said.

_Figures. He always did overlook everyone he didn't consider important_. "I see." she said solemnly. "What did he want?"

(_He... uh.. Wants to talk to you_.)

"That's it? He could have called my cellphone." Ritsuko said.

(_Well... he didn't know it, and said he couldn't be bothered with such a small detail._)

_Lazy prick._ "Alright, I'll be there in an hour. If he asks you before I get in, tell him I was on my honeymoon."

(_What? You're honey_...)

"Bye, Maya." she said before handing up.

"Trouble?" Ginji asked.

"Maybe."

"I'll get dressed." he said as he got up, his naked and athletic body presented before her.

_Too bad_. She thought as he got up.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Headquarters)

Ritsuko walked into the commanders office.

"I've heard a rather disturbing rumor, Dr Akagi." Gendo said.

_He's being formal, and we're in private. This can't be good_. She thought.

"This rumor goes the way of saying that you have been absent from NERV for the last few days."

"Yes, sir. I've heard the same rumor." she replied.

The obvious out of the way, Ritsuko braced herself for the real meat of the interrogation.

"This rumor goes even further to say that it has been in the company of a man."

_What? You thought I was a lesbian? _

"A man who works for this organization. And he happens to be married."

"I see. And does this rumor say to 'whom' this man is married to?" she asked.

"I was hoping you might have heard that part of the rumor."

Ritsuko looked at the man, trying to analyze him and his expressions. Trying to figure out just how much he knew about this 'rumor'.

In the end, Ritsuko decided to go for broke.

"The man I was with... was my husband." she answered.

Gendo's eyebrow twitched and arched. Inwardly, Ritsuko smiled. She had gotten a reaction out of him.

"I wasn't sure you'd believe me, so I brought this." she said, stepping up to the large desk as she pulled something out of her coat pocket. She placed it on the desk, her ring flashing subtly in the dim light, and stepped back.

The Commander glared hard at the piece of paper.

It was a marriage certificate.

"That's just a copy of the real one, which is at our apartment." she said.

Gendo then noticed the name on the paper.

"KATSURAGI?" he growled. "You Married That, That... MAN!"

Ritsuko was forcing herself not to laugh at his 'eloquent' speech.

Of course the reason Gendo was so mad is because it was the very person he was quickly growing to despise due to his constant interference with his scenarios. Heck, he had already put a serious kink in the man's plan by causing the destruction of Adam.

And yet... officially that was what he was hired for.

"Yes. I married Ginji. I am now Ritsuko Katsuragi." she said.

"How... how could you do this?" he gasped.

_It was pretty easy, you asshole! He asked me._

"Answer me this: have you told him anything about the Human Instrumentality Project?"

Ritsuko didn't have to lie at this.

"No. I haven't."

But naturally, Gendo couldn't take that at face-value.

"And I should believe you?"

"Considering that he found out about Adam, my telling him anything would be a moot point."

Gendo had no choice but to concede that point.

"And we still do not know how he found out about that, do we?"

"No. It's not a question I've had time to ask him."

"A smart woman would have inquired how he obtained that information."

_But a woman in love wouldn't_ _care_. "I'm sorry, Commander. I was... preoccupied at the time."

"So... you have whored yourself out to another man."

Ritsuko glared at the man, her left hand tightening.

"I wonder what your dear husband would think if he knew the truth about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Does he know about us?"

Ritsuko sighed and looked away, as if ashamed. When she didn't answer right away, Gendo grinned.

"I see. So you are a whore and a liar as well."

"I... Am NOT A Whore! Not Your's Or Ginji's!" she spat.

"You don't lie very well."

"I don't have to lie." she stated. "I know he loves me."

"You delude yourself. Just how would you know this?"

"Because he protected me from a man that you sent to terrorize me."

"Excuse me?"

"The police informed us that the man who broke into my apartment and attacked me had recently escaped from jail."

"And how does this lead back to me?"

"A violent electronics expert escapes from jail and out of all the places he could have gone, he stays in this city long enough to locate _my_ apartment of all places, which has the latest in electronic security. He wouldn't have been able to get in unless he had either the code, or knowledge of the system. It's rather coincidental."

Gendo glared, but remained silent.

"If Ginji hadn't been there I would have been raped and probably killed. And then you, being the big strong commander would come in, capture the man, and make me further indebted to you. Just like Rei with those mercenaries."

Gendo was frowning now.

"Not very creative, commander."

"Careful, doctor. Or your usefulness will be at an end."

"You're the one who should be careful, sir. I'm a married woman. Married... to a man who will fight to protect me... or avenge me if I am dead or dishonored."

Gendo didn't have to think about that. He knew that Ritsuko spoke the truth about Ginji's abilities. He knew that Ginji had escorted Ritsuko to his office and he was waiting outside. He knew that she was in here, and if she didn't come out alive and uninjured he was quite sure that Ginji would hunt him down and beat the living crap out of him before emptying his entire clip into his head.

Of course the major downside to this whole thing was that Ginji was compromising his scenario by taking away the chief scientist who was intimately involved in all of his plans. Not to mention his personal 'sextoy'.

Hell, his scenario had already been derailed thanks to the loss of Adam. And after his rather violent outburst against both Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki, both of their loyalty's to him were in question.

"And besides, there isn't any other person who knows the Eva's and Magi better."

And that was the final nail in the coffin. Most likely Gendo's. She did know the Eva's better than anyone else, and the Magi as well as her mother did.

"One last question." he said.

"Yes?"

"Why did you marry him?"

_That's what he wants to know? Fine. I'll tell him_. "Because he treats me like a lady. He's considerate of my feelings, my needs. He gives selflessly to those he cares about, and protects them with his life. But most importantly, it's _my_ name he screams out when we're together."

Gendo let out an annoyed grunt.

"We still have the Angels to defeat. Your duties are clear. You are dismissed."

Ritsuko nodded and turned around to leave, an unseen smile crossing her lips. She was smiling because she had actually won this battle.

That and she had been lying to him.

She wasn't Gendo's whore anymore. But the small, perverted side of her wouldn't have minded being Ginji's.

As Ritsuko left the office, Gendo frowned heavily.

_I will have to do something about Mr Katsuragi. And soon_. He thought.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Sweetie, are you sure you're alright?" Ginji asked as he checked the blond scientist over.

"I'm fine. He didn't lay a hand on me."

"If he had..."

"I know, hon. I know. He just wanted to talk about my... new name."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure there's more to it than that. Especially about what you told me about you and him."

"It wasn't something I was proud of telling you."

Ritsuko was also worried that Ginji might have rejected her if he found out about her and Gendo. But to her great surprise, he wasn't upset.

He hadn't been her first lover, but he had been the first to love her.

And Ritsuko had kept that part from Gendo in order to see how he would react. The truth in the matter and all, to find out what he really thought of her.

"He also said that we still have the Angels to deal with. So my job as chief scientist is still secure." She said.

"Strange. One would think you wouldn't have gotten off so easy." he replied.

"You think he's planning something?"

"Probably. But if it's piling on the workload to keep you busy, then it's a wasted effort."

"Unless he sabotages the Eva's himself."

"If he did that, we'd have nothing to defend against the Angels attacks. That would hurt him more as Commander of NERV."

_But without Adam he can't complete his plans._ Ritsuko thought. _Still, this is Gendo. He's probably got a backup plan. The questions is, what?_

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"Is something wrong, Maya?" Ritsuko asked as she sipped her coffee while sitting at her own computer terminal.

"Uh, nothing Dr Akagi... I mean Katsuragi."

The blond smiled. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"A little. I mean... when did you get married? Why didn't we know about it? I wished I could have gotten you something or..."

"Maya!"

"Sorry."

"The whole thing was kind of done on the spur of the moment. Right after I was attacked and..."

"You Were What?"

"Oh, that's right. You didn't know. Well, it's like this..."

(Ten minutes later)

"Wow." Maya gasped.

"Yeah." Ritsuko smiled.

"That's amazing! I knew the Captain was tough, but..."

"Yeah, well you should have seen him in action, Maya."

"Uh, sempai. I have to ask. Everyone knows about The Captain's relationship with each other."

"Meaning?"

"Well... Captain Misato has often mentioned how great a lover Captain Ginji is. But... well..." the younger woman asked, blushing slightly.

Ritsuko looked at her assistant and smiled, knowing exactly what she was asking.

"It was pure heaven." she said in a dreamy tone.

"Sempai?"

She turned to look at the woman.

"Let's just say that... Ginji actually takes his time to get to know a woman's body."

The younger woman blushed at this as the older woman smiled.

"And don't worry about getting me a wedding gift." Ritsuko stated. "Once this war is over I plan to have a larger wedding. Which will probably be just for show."

"I understand. Sure. But... I mean you're married to a man who is married already. I know the laws changed after Second Impact but..."

"You didn't think I'd marry a married man?"

"Well... no."

"Hmm." she nodded. "I can see where that would be a little odd. But... I've cared about Ginji since our college days. He was always the best kind of guy you wanted to be with. So, when he asked me if I wanted to marry him, it was like a dream come true. He's never lied to me, would never tease me like that, so I would have been a fool not to take it."

"I guess we're one of the lucky countries to have marriage leniency granted them after Second Impact."

Ritsuko smiled. "The Multiple Marriage Amendment of 2002." she smirked. "It's pretty amazing how quickly people can decide things when three billion people die within the span of a month."

"Considering things started to slow down after that..."

"Ancient history, Maya. Now... we've got work to do."

"Yes, Sempai." she said. "Can I ask you one last question?"

_Sigh_. "Alright."

"In Japanese marriages, the man usually takes the woman's name. Why did you take his?"

"That's true. But because Ginji married Misato first, he already has a woman's last name. And it wouldn't have made sense for Misato to change her name as well... so we both agreed that I would take his name." _Which is better for me since I'd rather disassociate myself from my mother anyway._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(NERV Cafeteria, lunch time)

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Ritz?" Misato asked as she sat down next to her friend and co-marriage partner.

"Well... it's about Ginji." Ritsuko said.

"Oh? Having troubles already? Or is he not showing you enough attention?" she teased.

"He's shown me nothing _but_ attention, that's not it, and he's everything you ever said he was."

"So what's the problem?" Misato asked, curious what the problem was.

"It's... well... it's just that I've been spending a lot of time with him as of late. Sleeping with him, cuddling with him, being pampered by him, having him hold me, kiss me, lavishing love upon me."

"Really not seeing the problem, Ritz." Misato interrupted while smiling.

"It's just... you married him first, and now you're not getting any time with him."

"Well of course not! You don't invite the bridesmaid along for the honeymoon with your new husband. Unless you're into that sort of thing."

_No. Not ready for a threesome just yet_. "You mean you're not upset?"

"Ritz! I've known Ginji since Second Impact and I've been married to him for the better part of a decade. I'm in no way worried about losing him." Misato smiled.

"It's just that... I love him so much, Misato. He's been better to me than anyone ever has." Ritsuko stated.

"I know what you mean. If Ginji hadn't been there for me all those years ago, I don't want to think how I would have turned out. I'd probably be guzzling beer down by the gallons, turning my bed into a revolving door for lovers and one-night stands, partying too hard and probably ending up in the gutter somewhere." she mused. _Hell, I might have ended up with the Commander if things had gone like that. _She shivered.

"You feel it too, don't you? Like he was meant to be here for us all this time." Ritsuko said.

"For me... Shinji... Rei... Asuka... you... yeah, everyone." Misato mused.

The pair were silent for several minutes.

"So you really love him, don't you?" Misato asked.

"Yes, Misato. I've loved him for a long time. And he truly loves me. It's the one thing I've wanted since I met him." Ritsuko replied.

"He really is good, isn't he?" she smiled.

Ritsuko blushed. "Yes. Really good. In fact Maya was asking about that."

At this Misato perked up. "What? Lieutenant Ibuki? You don't think..."

"Hmm. Well... maybe."

"Oh no! We are not sharing Ginji with _another_ woman, Ritsuko Akagi Katsuragi!" Misato spat. _At least... not this soon._

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Outside Gendo's office, after lunch)

Ritsuko was walking to the commander's office to deliver the status reports to him, when she saw her husband exit the large office. His hair was a little mussed and his trench coat was torn at the pocket. She looked past him and into the office to see nearly a dozen Section 2 officers lying on the ground in a variety of positions. An unhappy Gendo sitting at this desk.

"Hmm. Guess I don't need to ask what happened here." Ritsuko said.

"Not really." Ginji replied.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(**FLASHBACK**)

The truth of the matter was that Gendo had called Ginji to his office to have a little chat with him about his loyalty. Needless to say, Gendo had tried to use 'peer pressure' to make the man realize just who was in charge in NERV. Considering everything that had happened, he couldn't just kill or fire the man.

Not with his status amongst the employees in NERV. There would be all manner of questions asked about that, and with Ritsuko in his corner now there was no telling how much damage the Magi could do to him.

"I suppose you are wondering why I have called you here." Gendo said.

"I can guess." Ginji said.

"Can you."

"Yes. But tell me anyway."

"Very well. I am the commander of this organization. I decide what is best for this organization, decide how it should be run, etcetera. Do you follow me?"

"I believe so."

"Why do I not believe that?"

"Because you're a paranoid and suspicious person?"

"For good reason, I assure you. Aside from the fact it has kept me alive thus far, I assure you more, that I have everyone's best interest at heart."

"Forgive me if I object." Ginji said, trying his best not to laugh.

"Pardon?" Gendo growled at the man.

"What is NERV's purpose?"

"To defeat the Angels and prevent a Third Impact."

"Exactly. And so far, Shinji, Rei and Asuka, have been doing an excellent job of it thanks to my training. Shinji's smarter and stronger than he was when he first arrived. Rei's synch ratio has risen considerably. And Asuka's becoming a better person because of their friendship."

"That is irrelevant."

"I don't think so. This is a war, and in a war people die. The one's on the front line are those kids, and thanks in no small part to me, Misato, and Ritsuko, they're doing far better than any of us could have imagined."

_And it's screwing up my plans! _Gendo mentally groaned.

"We're going to win this war, and come out the better for it in the end. None of that pesky post-war trauma." Ginji said.

"That is a calculated risk when you fight a war."

"Wrong. They're children, commander. Push them too hard and they'll break. But give them a reason to fight, and the strength to do it, and they'll surpass all limits placed upon them by others." he said proudly.

"You say that as if you have something against me." Gendo said.

Ginji looked at the man. "You abandoned your own son when he needed you the most. How can I believe you have mankind's best interest at heart."

Gendo glared at him. "The needs of one, compared to many, are irrelevant."

"Considering how much you needed that one, who could ultimately determine the fate of many, it is very relevant." he countered.

"I am the commander of this organization, you are simply a captain charged with protecting the children and overseeing their training. You are a babysitter. _My_ word, is law. End of story!"

"No. Just the chapter. There is more going on in this world than just what those in power believe. There is hope, and where there is hope, you'll find people like me fighting to keep it alive."

Gendo fumed for a few seconds. "People like you, are unnecessary." he hissed.

"Oh really?" Ginji asked, as if amused by that.

"Your ideals are noble, but wholly useless in the real world." the commander said.

"It's because of the real world, that you need them the most." the captain said.

"It is not your opinion I am interested in. There are events spiraling that cannot be stopped. Many things you are unaware of. A scenario that will be met, by any means."

"By your hands... or someone else's?"

"It would be better, in mine."

"I'm not so sure of that."

"Then perhaps you need to be persuaded."

Ginji suddenly felt, and heard, twelve men step out of the shadows. He continued to face Gendo, even as his eyes moved left and right.

"Only twelve, commander? Are you sure that's going to be enough?"

"This organization will be run MY way, Captain Katsuragi! Do not think your influence will change that!"

"But it has. Shinji's stronger than the wreck you left him. Rei has a mind of her own, and is the better for it as her synch ratio with Unit 00 will show. Asuka's kinder than you would have allowed which makes her a better pilot. And Ritsuko is far happier with me, than with you."

Gendo's eyebrow raised sharply. "She told you?"

"Yes. Right before we got married. She seemed rather ashamed of it too."

_She told him! She's a better liar than I thought_. He sneered.

"I don't know exactly what your scenario is, commander, and I don't care. We're winning this war without any trouble. I say we stay the course."

"Course's have a way of changing at a moments notice."

"Yeah, I noticed." he said, looking around the room.

"You have a choice to make, Captain. You can either get on board with me, or..."

"What? You'll have these 12 guys beat my brains in? You'll fire me? You'll have me killed?"

Gendo grimaced, knowing where Ginji was going with this.

"Considering my work here has produced incredibly positive results, I suggest you rethink this plan of action. The UN might get suspicious."

"THE UN DOESN'T RUN THIS ORGANIZATION, I DO!" Gendo shouted.

"But who runs you, commander?" Ginji asked, hoping to finally break the man.

"Get Him!" Gendo shouted.

In a split second, it was on.

Three of the men pulled out their stun guns and fired them at Ginji, the electrical wires shooting out and lancing Ginji's body as 50,000 volts of electricity coursed through him.

However, Ginji had prepared for that, with his kevlar reinforced trenchcoat. The coat buffered the electrical shock as the other men attacked. Ginji drew them in, making it seem as if he was affected by the electrical shock.

As was typical of a surround-the-enemy formation like this, the first attack came from the rear.

Ginji dropped forward onto his hands and kicked his legs up and backwards, striking Agents 11 and 12 in their faces.

Agent 8 attacked from the side as Ginji sprang to his feet. He spun around the backhanded the agent hard in the face, sending him down.

Agent 6 lunged at Ginji, only to have the man step to the side and throw out his arm, clotheslining the man onto the ground.

Agent 3 pulled his knife and lunged at Ginji, only to have the man dodge at the last second, causing the man to impale not Ginji, but Agent 4, in the stomach. Agent 3 was dealt with via a swift chop to the back of his head.

Agent 4 lunged at Ginji from the side, only to have the man step aside as Agent 3 stabbed him in the stomach with a knife intended for Ginji.

Agent 7 had his feet swept out from under him by Ginji as he turned around and uppercut Agent 1, sending him onto his back.

Agent 9 lunged at Ginji as he uppercut Agent 1, grabbing his coat and ripping the seam before Ginji brought his elbow to the mans nose, once, twice, and a third.

Agent 2 had his knees struck hard as Ginji raked his right foot across them, bringing it up to kick the agent in the face.

Agent 5 got close enough to throw punches at Ginji, only to have his punches blocked and his face punched hard with even more quicker strikes.

Agent 10 was the last agent to get into this, meeting his unconscious fate via a fierce roundhouse kick that knocked him down, sliding across the floor to almost reach the far wall.

Agents 11 and 12 got back up and attacked, but were knocked down when Ginji leaped into the air and threw a flying roundhouse kick that knocked both agents down, and out. Agents 6 and 8 had gotten back up and attacked, only to have Ginji grab the attacking #6 and pull him in front of him, allowing #8 to punch him out, and giving himself a clean shot at punching down Agent 8. Agent 7 leaped lunged at him, only to have Ginji spin around and punch the agent hard in the chest, knocking him down hard.

With the last agent down, Ginji turned towards a very upset commander and glared at the man.

"If these are your best guys, commander, then NERV security is in serious need of reform. So, if you have no complaints, I'll be taking over as head of Section 2." he stated.

Gendo's lip turned into a sneer. Such a position would give Ginji a stronger power base in NERV, one that would enable him to undermine him and his scenario further. Yet, there was also the matter of him taking down dozen of his own men.

_Should have recruited JSSDF, or mercenaries, or F#& Yakuza!_

"Naturally, I'll have to have your approval on this, since you are the commander of this agency." he said, pulling out a piece of paper that named Ginji as the new Section 2 chief.

Gendo glared at the man.

_He set me up? But I was supposed to set him up! _He mentally grumbled and grudgingly signed the official document.

He, of course, knew why he had to sign it.

First of all Ginji had the favor of all the Eva pilots. Secondly he was the husband of NERV's operations director _and_ it's chief scientist. Thirdly he had sabotaged his own scenario by uncovering and eliminating Adam. And finally, he had proven strong enough to take down a dozen of his own hand picked security staff without so much as a scratch on himself. This put him in a position higher than his previous one.

Originally Ginji's job had been to protect and train the Eva pilots. Run them through their drills, ensure their safety, and make sure they could pilot the Eva's. Despite his captains rank in the military his title in NERV had actually been Pilot Supervisor/Trainer. But he had also been given additional duties such as protecting them, and NERV, as well.

Now, he had put himself in charge of all of NERV's security. And logically, after the pitiful display by his own men, Ginji would no doubt fire and replace them with people of better caliber.

People who were loyal to NERV's official goals of fighting the Angels and preventing a Third Impact, and most likely loyal to Ginji himself.

While a small part of Gendo admired that strength, he cursed it at the same time.

Yes, Gendo knew why he had to sign this paper. Because if he didn't, everyone in NERV would question why he hadn't made Ginji head of Section 2 once word of this incident got out. Everyone would turn against him, if they didn't resent him already. Which he was sure they did. He would have been satisfied with people fearing him, but with Ginji around to give them hope and courage, it wouldn't take much for everyone in this organization to turn on him in an instant.

As Ginji left the office, Gendo realized that he would have to talk to SEELE about these events.

And soon.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(Katsuragi/Akagi Apartment)

"YEAH! PARTY!" Misato shouted as she downed another beer.

"Misato, calm down!" Ritsuko admonished.

"Oh, come on, Ritzy!" Misato slurred. "Ginji just got a promotion!"

"Ginji just got a new job." she countered. "And it's about time too."

"I just would have loved to see the commander's face when you beat down his goon squad and practically forced him to sign the order to make you the new Section 2 chief." Misato said.

"Me too." Ritsuko said.

"Sorry I didn't video-tape it for you, but they didn't exactly give me a chance to set up one." Ginji said.

"So... does this mean you're not our guardian anymore?" Shinji asked, sitting next to Rei.

"Oh, I'm still you're guardian, Shinji. I'm the guardian of all NERV now, and all their employees." he smiled.

Eventually, the pilots and their lush of an operations director retired to bed, with Ginji and Ritsuko being the last to depart.

"Ginji-kun?" Ritsuko asked, the pair arm-in-arm as they headed to their bed where a snoring Misato was already asleep.

"Yes, Ritz-chan?" he asked.

"You know I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

"I'm glad... but I'm also worried."

"Worried? About what?"

"About... how things are going to go now."

Ginji stopped the woman and turned to face her. He took her face in between his hands and stared into her eyes.

"Ritsuko... I promise you... nothing bad is going to happen. We're going to win this war, and be able to live in peace afterwards."

Ritsuko just stared into his eyes, her body overcome by the aura of strength and confidence that he exuded. An aura of strength and power that turned her on once again.

"Oh Ginji!" she gasped as she lunged forward and devoured his lips with her own.

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Authors Notes:

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I know it's been a while since I updated this story. Been fighting a lot of writers block and working on other stories as well. This chapter had Ginji established as a central NERV figure, taking the position of head of Section 2.

And yes, that mean's its really Shinji Ikari in charge of Section 2, if you've been keeping track of this story.

And yes, Ginji now has two wives who he loves deeply, and for different reasons.

Next chapter: The crew faces off against the 8th Angel, with hilarious new situations, and a new threat to deal with from Gendo and SEELE. But don't worry, Ginji's got a plan!

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OMAKE!

The twelve Section 2 agents surround Ginji and pull their hand guns.

"Last chance, Captain Katsuragi." Gendo said.

"My answer is no." Ginji said.

"Shoot him."

Ginji quickly spun around and dropped to the floor as the agents fired, the bullets zipping across the room and hitting the other agents that were directly across from each other.

All twelve agents dropped dead right on the floor.

Gendo slapped his forehead as Ginji got back up.

The man looked around and just shook his head.

"I really hope you weren't paying these guys." Ginji said.

"Too much, it seems." Gendo groaned.

"Well, since you pretty much eliminated the entire Section 2 staff, guess I need to start filling those positions with new talent."

"And make sure they have the decency not to stand in each others line of fire, too."


End file.
